Dust Based Thaumaturgy
by AnthonyRidad
Summary: Three years after the end of the Fifth Holy Grail War, Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka find themselves in a strange, unfamiliar world. Discovered by the soon-to-be-dubbed teams RWBY and JNPR, the two young magi are invited to be temporary guests at Beacon Academy.
1. Prologue

**_Changelogs, because why the hell not._**

 _2/4/16: This is a re-upload of the prologue. I apparently made the mistake of uploading parts of chapter one in the prologue chapter. That explains why some of the reviews mentioned things that shouldn't be in the prologue._

 _2/11/16: Recognized the errors of my ways. Edited the Prologue's formatting to improve reader experience. It's now easier to tell who's talking. Added Rin hesitation during initial meeting with teams RWBY and JNPR._

* * *

 **Prologue**

Emiya Shirou stared at the book in his hands, his eyes glossing over the words. He laid back on the bed, the sound of a distant shower the only noise in the room. Shirou never had a habit of reading, but with life at the clock tower moving at a steady pace, he figured that it wouldn't hurt to pick up a new hobby.

The book in his hand was fiction, written by one J.K. Rowling. A woman, who, according to Rin, was a magus herself.

The room's door swung open and the familiar scent of soap and shampoo met Shirou's nostrils. Tohsaka Rin, in all her grace and beauty, walked inside wearing nothing but a small towel.

Shirou ignored her completely.

Sitting down on a study desk across from the bed, Rin glanced over her shoulder at Shirou. "Oh? What's this? You're already on the second book?"

Shirou simply nodded in response.

"Well that's good. It's nice that you're picking up a new hobby." a smile formed on Rin's lips.

Ever since the events of the Holy Grail War, Rin has taken it upon herself to, in her own words, 'make Shirou into a man.' And while the extent of their relationship warranted certain _manly responsibilities_ from him, her actual objective of 'making him into a man' was never as clear-cut. For the most part, she seemed to be more focused on trying to get him to act more normal than anything else. And that meant finding him other things to do aside from pursuing his dream of becoming a Hero of Justice.

Because, for a time, that was all Shirou Emiya wanted.

With Rin around, distractions were abound. And in a way, even Shirou admitted that was a good thing. The Fuyuki Fire consumed his memories. He forgot who he was before the flames engulfed the city. He forgot the faces of his parents, the looks his friends once gave him. The identity he once carried. And for a time, he became nothing more but the vessel of Emiya Kiritsugu's will.

Rin walked toward him, now dressed in her signature cat pajamas, and hopped on the bed. She landed face-first on the mattress to Shirou's right, before snuggling up to his shoulder.

Nothing happened tonight. London was quiet outside, as quiet as a major city in the modern world could be. They slumbered peacefully, bathing in each other's warmth.

[—

The two young magi awoke in an evergreen forest.

Shirou was the first to rise, his eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden light. He glanced around, watching the surroundings, feeling the chill of the wind on the bare skin of his arms.

 _Is this a dream?_

He wondered. But everything felt too real. The cold, the trees swooshing in the distance, the empty morning sky. Their entire bedroom has disappeared, with nothing but the bed and bits and pieces of wood from the floor surrounding them. Shirou's eyes wandered to his arm, where a still slumbering Rin was busy drooling on it.

He sighed, wondering what kind of nonsense they've gotten themselves into again, when a sound from the forest caught his attention.

Shirou moved by instinct, pushing himself off the bed and standing beside it.

Rin does an excellent job of not waking up.

"Rin. Get up."

The prodigy grumbled something about asking for 'five more minutes'. Shirou narrowed his eyes in annoyance and instead reached out to poke her on the cheek.

"Rin!"

"Wha—What?" she sprung up, half open eyes darting left and right. "Re—Reality marble!?"

She gargled out, for no discernible reason. Shirou stared at her blankly, completely forgetting about this particularly weird quirk of hers. However eventually, she manages to shake away her drowsiness and a look of clarity crosses her eyes. Cautiously, the shorter girl removes herself from the bed and observes her surroundings.

"Where are we?"

"I'm not sure, but it doesn't look like any kind of forest I've been in before."

Rin instinctively reached for her pockets, but grunts in frustration when she realized that she was only in her pajamas. "I don't have my jewels."

She stepped closer to Shirou, rolling her sleeves, her eyes continuing to watch the silent forest around them.

"How did we get here?" she asked.

"I don't know. I just woke up and here we are." Shirou sighed and triggered his magic circuits, sending magical energy coursing through his body. A pair of twin swords materialized into his hands, one black and one white. His body is used to Tracing now. Gone were the stress he once felt in his heart and arms.

They weren't alone. He knew that much. He could feel a presence in the woods. Creatures that moved the grass beneath their feet, beings that blended with the shadow. Eventually he saw them, a pair of blood-red eyes gazing from the darkness.

The beast emerged from the shadows slowly. Its form was massive. It resembled a hybrid between a wolf and a man. Its face was covered with white bone, dirtied with crimson lines.

It didn't look like a familiar— that much was obvious. Its intention was clear.

With a surge of energy, the beast rushed forward, heading straight for Shirou.

The magus prepared for the assault, lowering himself into a stance, when Rin's arm shot forward beside him. The familiar red of a Gandr spell sent small ripples in the air, as the magically-charged projectiles slammed into the beast. To Shirou's surprise however, Rin's attack only managed to make the beast angrier. It continued its charge, unhindered.

Shirou moved to intercept, Kanshou and Bakuya at the ready.

The monster struck downward with its massive claws, an attack that Shirou easily managed to dodge. He rolled out of the way and slashed its belly, rending flesh and bone. He spun on his knee as the monster reacted to the blow, its claw crushing the earth as it swung.

Shirou fell on one knee, swords still tight in his hands.

The monster was about to rush forward when another blast of red exploded from Rin's hand, this one brighter and larger than the last. The empowered Gandr shot tore through the monster's shoulder like a bullet through paper, sending blood spraying everywhere. In that exact moment, Shirou surged forward, blades moving at inhuman speeds, striking at the monster's throat.

The wolf's head fell to the ground as its body collapsed. Shirou watched it disappear before making his way to Rin in a jog.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course, I'm okay! What were you thinking, just rushing in like that?" it was always like Rin to be angry for no reason.

"Well, what did you expect me to do? It was coming right for you." Shirou replied simply.

Rin frowned in frustration, but her expression turned serious when she heard the tell-tale signs of more movement in the woods. "I swear! If this is some kind of messed up clock tower initiation ritual—"

"But we joined a year ago, I think an initiation is long overdue."

Rin's eyes narrowed.

"It's probably Luvia then. That _bitch._ Or Zelretch. ZELRETCHHH!"

[—

The trials have finished, with the soon-to-be-dubbed teams RWBY and JNPR both successfully retrieving the chess pieces they set to collect. Cardin Winchester and his group were the first to return to their waiting teachers. Two more teams followed, before the fifteen-year-old girl and her seven compatriots arrived. Some of the students were battered and tired, and three were visibly injured. But as harsh as their challenge was, no lives were lost.

Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch were both appreciating their trainees' efforts when a noise caught their attention.

"ZELRETCHHH!"

Or rather, _everyone's_ attention.

"What was that?" Glynda asked, turning to the direction of the noise.

"Oooh, sounds like someone's in trouble?" Nora Valkyrie said aloud, standing on her toes and gazing toward the vast expanse that was the Emerald Forest.

"You don't have to sound so excited." her childhood friend, Ren Lie said blankly beside her.

Glynda turned to the spectacled headmaster. "Ozpin, everyone is accounted for. Whoever that was, it isn't one of our trainees."

"That person didn't sound particularly in distress." Ozpin considered, as calm as always. "But her noise could attract Grimm to her location."

The professor slammed his cane to the ground, instantly commanding everyone's attention.

"Students. Someone in these woods might be in need of assistance. I am authorizing an emergency search-and-rescue operation." he glanced to Glynda, who already stood at attention. "Glynda, go with them. They'll need all the help they can get."

Glynda simply nodded as she turned and began organizing the operation. The various trainees reacted in different ways. Most were thrilled to return to the Grimm-infested forest, but others were much more cautious.

Weiss Schnee, heiress and Dust extraordinaire, threw her hands in the air almost immediately after the announcement was made.

"This is ridiculous, where are we even supposed to start? The Emerald Forest is huge!"

"If we spread out in a wide area, finding the girl shouldn't be that hard." Blake Belladonna proposed, her hands fidgeting with her weapon.

However, the group's youngest member, the excitable Ruby Rose, was too busy jumping around.

"Guys, guys, this isn't the time to stand around like this! We gotta go, like— right now— we have to go before the Grimm gets her!"

"Yeah!" an orange-haired blur exclaimed in support, rushing to Ruby's side.

"Nora?" Yang Xiao Long, brawler and master of puns said in surprise, eyeing Nora as she bounced beside her sister.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Nora exclaimed, grinning wide, her transforming grenade-launcher already in her hand. However, before either girl could rush head-long into the forest, Professor Goodwitch approached. Her dire and serious expression was enough to silence everyone.

"Miss Rose, Miss Nikos, I am temporarily placing the two of you in charge. All of you are to scour the north and northeastern areas of the forest."

She gestured with her wand. "If you find our target, report immediately with your Scroll. I've already contacted reinforcements from Beacon, and they should arrive as soon as possible."

Weiss walked forward and spoke up. "Are reinforcements really necessary? We handled the Grimm here easily enough."

"This isn't about how capable you are, Miss Schnee. There are lives involved here beyond your own. Whoever this person is needs to be found immediately. We'll find our mystery person faster with more people looking."

Weiss did not reply and instead managed nothing but a simple nod. "I understand."

Nodding in return, Glynda readied her wand and waved it in a confident gesture.

"Now spread out! A life is at stake! Find this person in distress and bring her back to Beacon Academy!"

[—

"Aaaand it evaporated."

Rin knelt beside an area where a dead Ursa once sat, poking the ground with a stick. Though the creature's body disappeared after it died, Rin continued to be cautious. She had to be. The creature was not something they had ever encountered before.

"Was it a familiar?"

"Didn't look like it. There were no traces of prana in the body, but it didn't look natural. Mutated maybe? A dead apostle's idea of a pet dog?"

"It was flesh and bone. That much was obvious."

Shirou was at least glad that the things could be killed with conventional magecraft. He was happy that they didn't prove too much of a challenge. While they initially seemed to attack with unbridled ferocity, he and Rin were soon able to get into a proper tempo. The creatures attacked more or less mindlessly, driven by instinct instead of any sort of intelligence. Between his Projections and Rin's long-ranged magecraft, the Grimm were practically no match.

"Shirou, did you hear that?"

Rin stood up and placed a hand to his shoulder. She gazed across the forest, her magic circuits flaring and reinforcing her eyes.

Shirou followed her example, his vision immediately growing in clarity, allowing him to see vast distances in an instant.

Eight people were approaching their location, each one dressed in outfits that Shirou would personally describe as 'colorful'. They were running, in a pace in between a jog and full-on sprint. They were moving in teams of two, staggered but close enough for each group to assist those nearby. Whoever these people were, they were fast. And they weren't being subtle.

"Shirou, I don't think we're in England anymore." Rin dryly surmised.

"Let's go meet them."

"What? No! We should stand back and observe them from a distance."

"Rin, they look like they're looking for us. And judging by the fact that they're heading in our direction, it's clear that they'll be here in a few seconds. It'll be easier if we just introduced ourselves."

"Shirou, they are literally running toward us. What if they're hostile? What if they're here to kill us?"

"I don't think they're here to do that. This forest isn't exactly the safest place around." he gestured at the smoking remnants of dead Grimm. "Those beasts attacked us indiscriminately. Shouldn't we consider the possibility that those guys are here to help?"

"I don't like it." she deadpanned.

"We don't have a choice. We don't know where we are and we're not sure what we're dealing with. We're better off looking for help."

He gestured at the approaching group.

"Plus, they don't look _that_ bad."

"Ugh, fine! But I'm setting up traps, just in case."

[—

Ruby and Nora led the party, jogging happily with their folded weapons on their hands. The rest followed close behind, with Pyrrha Nikos and Yang holding up the rear.

"Sooooo, Pyrrha, you're sorta a big deal. I was wondering if I could ask you a question."

"Uh, sure. What is it— Yang, was it?"

"Uh-huh. I always wondered; what does it feel like being a celebrity?"

The redhead only frowned in reply. "It's— not the best thing in the world."

"But it's great, right? Exciting, exhilarating and all that. I mean, you were on a cereal box, at the very least, you're not going to be hungry for the rest of your life!"

"I don't think anyone can survive with just cereal in their diet…"

"It was a metaphor, hahaha."

"I don't think that was a very good metaphor—"

"Whoaaaaa."

"Whoaaaaa."

Ruby and Nora's gasps of surprise caught everyone's attention, as the two girls skidded to a sudden stop.

The group emerged in a small clearing, one that was torn apart from fighting. The grass was burned and the earth was cratered. Trees were broken, collapsed from what seemed like projectile weapons. The eight huntsmen in training readied themselves by instinct, weapons clinking in agreement.

"Uh— guys." Jaune spoke, awkwardly pointing to something peculiar in the distance.

The various teenagers reacted in different ways. But most of the reactions were that of confusion.

"Hello there."

Spoke a young lady with a solemn, noble expression, one that would not seem out of place on someone like Weiss. The effect of her demeanor was lessened however because of the outfit she wore. A colorful pair of yellow cat pajamas.

The eight huntsmen in training looked at each for someone to take the lead. Ruby gladly took the reins and strode forward.

"Hello there, friends! Uh, nice place you got here. If it's not too much trouble, do you mind if we ask what you guys are doing here?"

The young lady was accompanied by a boy of equal age. He was dressed in a white shirt and black pants. His smile was disarming and warm, but at the same time, Yang noticed how rigid his posture was. He was prepared to fight, just in case Ruby and her friends made any unexpected moves. The pair of odd strangers were sitting on a bed, with bits and pieces of wood littered on the forest floor.

"I assume that you eight have a lot of questions for us." the girl said, standing up in a slow, non-threatening manner.

Yang glanced toward Pyrrha, and watched her as she pulled out her Scroll, to no doubt contact the Professor Goodwitch.

"To answer the looks of confusion on your faces, I would like to take the initiative and explain ourselves and our situation." the girl raised her index finger daintily. "My name is Rin Tohsaka, and this is my partner, Shirou."

The boy nodded slightly, still smiling.

"We don't know where we are, nor do we know how we came here. We were sleeping, when we woke up in this forest. And soon after we were attacked by… creatures unfamiliar to us."

"Grimm." Ruby replied, on behalf of the team.

"Grimm? Is that what those creatures are called?"

"Yes! Are you two alright?"

The girl, Rin simply nodded.

"We're fine."

The girl seemed to wait before continuing her response. She eyed each and every one of the huntsmen in training. With a sigh and visible hesitation, she added, "We were able to dispatch them with our magecraft."

"Magecraft?"

"Our powers." she said almost too quickly. "Regardless, we managed to dispatch the creatures easily enough and are for the time being safe. _Unfortunately,_ we still don't know where we are. And we would prefer it if we didn't have to spend our evening in this forest."

Rin's eloquence surprised all who were present, and for a time, no one was sure how to respond.

Weiss on the other hand was in silent awe at the lady's grace and poise. This Rin girl spoke like someone renowned, someone who _mattered._ Was she a noble? A princess? A rich CEO's daughter? It didn't matter. She was a stranger in a weird place, and she claimed to be strong enough to survive an onslaught of Grimm. As a representative of the Schnee Company, it was her responsibility to welcome this girl into Vale.

" _Ahem,_ of course, Miss Tohsaka. Your safety is of utmost importance at this moment. Right now you and your friend are in the Emerald Forest, and my… companions and I here have been dispatched to rescue you."

"Ahh. That's good to hear." Rin turned and offered her hand to her friend, which caused the latter to stare at her confused. Eventually, grudgingly, the orange-haired boy took her hand and stood up. "Then let me extend my thanks. Your timely arrival has saved us the effort of finding civilization on our own. May I please know your names?"

"Ruby. Just call me Ruby." Ruby said, smiling and standing on the tips of her toes.

"And Schnee!" Weiss almost blurted out. "Weiss Schnee." she quickly corrected.

 _Smooth._

Rin tilted her head and smiled.

"Well then, Miss Ruby, Miss Schnee and companions, thank you for coming for us. Now, who can help us transport our bed?"

Ruby raised her hand immediately, a look of determination evident on her young face.

"Oh, Yang can help you guys, she's pretty strong and I'm sure—"

Blake rolled her eyes at the younger girl. "I think she was making a joke, Ruby."


	2. Perspective and Circumstance

_Parts of the first chapter were accidentally published in the prologue while I was writing it Whoops.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 1  
Perspective and Circumstance**

The headmaster's office was of a minimalist design. Headmaster Ozpin sat in his chair, with Glynda to his right and a certain caffeinated professor to his left. In front of them were the mysterious pair that the newly dubbed teams RWBY and JNPR discovered in the Emerald Forest. For the most part, it was the girl, Rin Tohsaka who spoke on their behalf.

"So, by the sound of things, it seems like Shirou and I have made it into a parallel dimension."

Rin said, sipping the tea Ozpin offered.

"Forgive my ignorance, but what do you mean by parallel dimension?"

Glynda asked, glancing at her peers, though Rin suspected that the older woman was not as clueless about the topic as she let on.

To Glynda's horror, Dr. Oobleck answered instead of Ozpin.

"Parallel dimensions— a theory of self-contained, separate realities that co-exist with our own. The differences between our worlds may be subtle or massive, Miss Tohsaka and her companion may come from a world with only three kingdoms, for example, and by her claims, their world lacks Grimm and Dust and other facts-of-life that are common in our own."

Ozpin rubbed his chin at the notion.

"A world without Grimm, that sounds…"

"Wonderful."

Glynda finished.

Rin noted that a pang of sadness crossed her host's faces.

"Professor Oobleck is correct."

She said.

"Grimm do not exist in our world, nor does Dust, or the concept of aura that you've explained. Our world also no longer has kingdoms, per se, as that form of government has long since been overtaken by their modern equivalents."

"I see, what are your kingdoms called, if I may ask?"

Oobleck inquired, sipping what Rin assumed to be his third cup of coffee.

"They are collectively called nations or countries, and there are currently one-hundred-and-ninety-six of them."

The three professors exchanged looks. While they maintained their professional calm, the sign of envy and sadness never disappeared.

"A hundred-and-ninety-six…"

Oobleck said.

"Well, it's no surprise. Societies tend to flourish when unencumbered by the constant threat of monsters."

Ozpin adjusted his glasses and leaned forward on his desk.

"Regardless. Are you in any way aware how you could have arrived in our world, Miss Tohsaka?"

Rin closed her eyes and nodded.

"It was probably the work of magic."

"Ah. That is what you call your powers, correct?"

"No, professor. Magic is something completely different from magecraft, which is what Shirou and I practice."

"But you call yourselves Magi, Rin."

"Magi are incapable of magic, sir. We are called Magi because we perform something called 'magecraft'. Magecraft and magic are as different as night and day."

She raised her index finger, a gesture that the three professors were all too familiar with.

"Simply put, magecraft is similar to your people's application of aura. In your explanation a while ago, you said that aura can be used to harden weapons and armor or improve a user's physical abilities. While this effect sounds uhm, let's just say, 'magical' in nature, the effect can still be replicated through traditional and modern means. Armor can be upgraded by improving the plating, for example. Simply put, the laws of physics still more or less apply in the practice of auras and magecraft."

Rin now raised two of her fingers.

"Magic on the other hand is something that simply can't be replicated through modern means. Shirou and I were probably brought here by what my people call the Second Magic, which mainly deals with parallel worlds."

Rin's annoyed frown caught the attention of her hosts immediately.

"So. Yeah. _Someone_ just might be responsible for us coming here."

"If you are incapable of this 'magic', does this mean that you have no way of returning?"

Ozpin asked.

"Perhaps, but Shirou and I just might be able to scrape by. I have ideas, professor, and Shirou and I should be able to figure something out soon enough. It's a shame that we don't have any money, though. Or a place to stay."

Rin glanced at her companion, who had been quiet the whole time.

Ozpin placed his chin on his knuckles and stared at the two teenagers. They seemed a great deal more experienced than the first years who rescued them. And he noticed how eloquent Rin was. She was knowledgeable and precise with her explanations. While Shirou remained quiet this entire time, Ozpin did not fail to notice how alert he was of his surroundings and how ready he always seemed to protect Rin.

"Beacon is always looking for ways to protect against the Grimm that threaten our borders."

He finally said.

"If you can lend some of your knowledge to our cause, then I will gladly personally sponsor you both in your stay here."

Rin's smile was hard to contain.

"That is an enticing proposition, professor. But we're not even sure if your people are capable of magecraft."

"Capable of magecraft or not, the two of you carry yourselves with purpose and experience. You managed to survive what you described as an onslaught of Grimm unharmed, with no weapons and dressed in nothing but your pajamas. Those feats alone make you invaluable to my students."

Rin tried to pretend that she was considering her options, but it was clear to Ozpin that she had already made up her mind. The young girl leaned forward and smiled.

[—

"AAAND DONE."

Ruby shouted, hands in the air like she did not care. The sight of their makeshift bunk beds was ugly to look at, but somehow, the four girls made their living arrangements work. The four proudly looked at their messy room before deflating in defeat.

"Yeah, this isn't going to work."

Blake finally said.

"I think we should get rid of some of our stuff."

"No, no, this is fine, guys! We'll make it work!"

Ruby spread her arms and gestured at the room.

"Look, things are not as bad as they look. We just have to, uh— yeah we definitely need to get rid of more stuff."

Weiss was about to retort, when a knock on the door caught everyone's attention. Being the closest to the entrance, the white-haired girl moved to open the door. It came as a complete surprise to her when a smiling Rin greeted her.

"Hello~"

She said.

"Oh—oh, it's you! I mean, Miss Tohsaka!"

"It's nice for you to remember me, Miss Schnee."

"Please, please come inside."

Weiss stepped aside to let the older girl in. Rin walked in confident strides toward the center of the room. She was dressed in actual clothes now, a red, long-sleeved shirt and a black miniskirt. Her clothes accentuated her slender form, a fact that wasn't missed by Yang.

"I just wanted to thank the four of you for coming to our rescue."

Ruby stood straight and smiled.

"Oh, hahaha, it was nothing, it was _nothing._ "

"I was more worried about what happened to the two of you when you were summoned to Professor Ozpin's office."

Yang said a hand on her hip.

"You know, come to think of it, we haven't really properly introduced ourselves yet. We barely had time to talk on our walk back to Beacon."

"That's true."

Rin considered, her finger to her chin.

"But first, let me point out that another reason why I'm here is because Miss Goodwitch instructed me to bunk with you guys."

Reactions varied from Ruby's,

"What? Really!?"

to Yang's,

"That sounds great!"

to Blake's,

"Oh."

and Weiss'

"This is just fabulous! But wait, it's already so cramped—"

 _"Then that just means that we'll have to get rid of more stuff!"_

"That's not a good thing, you dolt."

"Awww."

"So!"

Yang shouted, fist in the air.

"Introductions, yes, yes? I'll start."

She cleared her throat and puffed her chest.

"The name's Yang Xiao Long, and this,"

She grabbed Ruby by her hood and placed her in a choke hold.

"—is my little sister Ruby!"

"He—Hello~ can't— breathe—"

Rin nodded slightly at the two girls, before glancing at Blake.

"Blake. Blake Belladonna."

"She's the dark and mysterious type."

Ruby pointed out.

"Thanks, Ruby."

"And you?"

Rin asked, turning to Weiss.

"Weiss Schnee at-your-service!"

"Nice to meet you, Weiss."

Rin gave her a smile.

"Though I've already said before, I'm Rin Tohsaka, and I am a magus. Professor Ozpin authorized me and Shirou to stay in your school for as long as we need to, at least, until we figure out a way to get back home."

"What's a magus?"

Yang asked.

"Uh, let's just say I have different powers from you guys and leave it at that for a while."

Yang raised her eyebrow and wanted to prod some more, but Rin seemed to possess the same disarming smile that Shirou had.

"Well, Rin! We're happy to have you. We're sorry about how things are right now, though."

Ruby said, glancing at the awkward bunk beds they somehow managed to make.

"And I don't think there's room for another bed… but uh, hehe, I think we'll manage. Maybe. Somehow."

"Professor Ozpin said that someone should come along soon enough to help us set up."

Rin said, still smiling.

"Oh! Well that's nice."

"I'm curious about this experience, really."

Rin said.

"I… don't think I've ever bunked with other girls before, but hopefully we'll be fine."

"Oh, speaking of which, what about your friend, Shirou?"

Ruby asked.

"Oh he's—"

"Or is he _really_ just your friend."

Yang teased, interrupting Rin.

"Yang!"

"What? Everyone here is thinking it, especially you Blake. I can see it in your _eyes_."

"Shirou and I are dating, if that's what you're asking."

"Hah. I knew it!"

Yang crossed her arms and nodded.

"That explains the single bed—"

"What about the single bed?"

Ruby asked.

"Ahh, silly sis, sometimes I really do forget that you're fifteen."

"What? What do you mean by that—"

"It's nothing~ it's nothing~ just go drink your milk."

Rin cleared her throat before speaking.

"Anyway, Shirou is apparently bunking with a different team, I think they're called team—"

[—

"JNPR. That's all of us."

Jaune said, puffing his chest proudly as his friends stood to his side. Their new bunkmate, Shirou, tilted his head at the odd sight of both Ren and Nora posing with their weapons drawn.

"So you're the leader?"

Shirou asked.

"Yes."

Jaune said, but his shoulders slumped with his words.

"You don't sound too happy with the arrangement."

Shirou pointed out.

"If you want, I can ask for Professor Ozpin to send me to another group—"

"No, no it's not you! You're fine, you're cool, really. It's just, well forget it. Welcome aboard, Shirou!"

"Wait, wait, guys does this mean that we get to add another letter to our team name!?"

Nora practically exploded into Shirou's view.

"This means we're now Team JNPRS!? Or SJNPR or SPJNR!"

"I'm not technically a student, Nora. So I don't think that will be happening."

"Awwww."

Pyrrha stepped forward and gestured to her bed.

"Well if your bed somehow doesn't get set up today, please feel free to use mine. I'm fine with sleeping on the floor or—"

"I could never let you do that. But thank you for the offer."

He gave the group a kind, disarming smile, one so powerful that it caused Nora to take a step back.

[—

"Those clothes were in the lost-and-found!?"

Weiss pointed at Rin, incredulous.

"Yes, Miss Goodwitch lent them to me. Apparently they were left behind by last year's graduates or something? Hmm, shame though, the fabric's nice and they aren't too bad on the eyes."

"No, no, no, this is unacceptable! Someone like you shouldn't—"

"It's fine, really. They do their job, and I guess at the end of the day, that's all that matters."

Weiss was clearly unhappy by how Rin was taking things in stride, but the younger girl ended her protest.

The five girls were making their way toward class, with Ruby and Yang leading the way. The four girls were dressed in their uniforms, a sight that made Rin nostalgic. Unlike in Fuyuki, the Clock Tower did not require its students to dress in uniforms.

She observed the sights and sounds as they walked, noting the advanced architecture and the atmosphere of everything. A few of the students paid her the occasional glance, but she mostly ignored them. The entire school seemed like something straight from the future, but everything still looked and felt familiar. Rin admitted that she was bad with technology, but even she could tell that these people were more advanced than the non-magus community from their world.

The group rounded a staircase before entering an amphitheater-style classroom just a few floors up. The girls settled in on the second row from the teacher's platform. She watched as Beacon's colorful students funneled in. Her eyes perked up at the sight of a few students with what appeared to be animal ears on their heads.

"Blake,"

She whispered.

"Can I ask about those students over there?"

Blake saw where she was looking and frowned.

"They're Faunus. Don't you have Faunus where you come from?"

"Can't say that we do. Tell me, are they a different species?"

Blake felt no malice in Rin's words, only curiosity, so apprehensively she answered,

"Yes. Why, what's your opinion on them?"

Rin shrugged, placing an elbow on the desk.

"Can't say I have an opinion on them yet, they look just like people to me."

Blake tilted her head slightly before returning her attention to the book in her hand. She didn't know what to think of Rin. She didn't seem to be hostile toward her fellow Faunus yet. And she supposed that was a good thing.

A few more students shuffled into the classroom, including team JNPR and their newly acquired magus.

Shirou and Rin shared a glance, with Rin gesturing to the empty space to her left, and Shirou replying with a raised hand.

'I'm fine over here.' his gesture said.

A professor with an impressively bushy mustache entered the classroom. He made introductions and welcomed the students before gesturing toward Shirou and Rin.

"Children, before we begin I would like to introduce to you our new guests. Mister Emiya and Miss Tohsaka here will be staying at this school for a few months. While they are neither huntsmen nor huntsmen-in-training, I hope that you will all treat them nicely."

A boy scoffed haughtily from the back row.

"Well if they're not huntsmen then what's the point? Can you they even fight?"

"Regardless if they can fight, Mister Winchester, they are Headmaster Ozpin's guests and as such will be treated respect."

The teacher's words did little to convince Cardin, who simply replied with another scoff.

"We could prove ourselves if you want."

Rin said out loud, shrugging.

"We understand that you people value combat prowess, professor. If you wish us to demonstrate what we're capable of, then we are happy to oblige."

She turned to the direction of the frowning Cardin, smirking. The younger boy glared at her, but she was completely unfazed. Compared to a certain blonde Heroic Spirit's ugly smirk, this kid was nothing.

The tension in the room died off soon enough, and Professor Peter Port began his lessons. He spoke about the Grimm, the conflict with the Grimm, and how the Grimm have more or less shaped their world. Rin listened attentively, Shirou, not so much, but both magi did their best to absorb the information they were being given with. Halfway through the lesson, the professor brought in three identical boxes, which were obviously filled with something aggressive.

"The Grimm are an old enemy, but they all come in different forms, with different strengths and weaknesses that the fact entails. As a demonstration of your skills, I would like three volunteers to step forth and challenge these Grimm."

 _Active combat in a classroom setting?_

Rin thought to herself. In a way this practice reminded her more of the cutthroat world of the Clock Tower instead of her more relaxed life back in Fuyuki.

"Ruby Rose, you seem particularly attentive."

The professor said.

"Why don't you step down here and ready your weapon."

"B—But I—"

"Come now, Ruby Rose."

The small fifteen-year-old tried to protest, but eventually she simply gave up and sighed. Beside her Weiss huffed and smirked at the latter's situation.

Ruby stood at attention, scythe at the ready as the first box slowly opened. Inside was a Boarbatusk, an armored Grimm that reminded Rin of boards. The creature roared before charging toward Ruby. Rin observed quietly as the diminutive girl jumped high, out of the way and in one swift motion, transformed her scythe into a rifle and fired.

Fifty-caliber bullets slammed into the Grimm's hide, but the creature seemed more annoyed than hurt. It charged at Ruby as she fell to the ground. Ruby fired more rounds into the creature's skull, but the bullets only bounced off.

"The Boarbatusk possesses a mostly armored body, attacking it head-on is not an option."

"Oh come on professor, why didn't you tell me that whoa—"

Ruby's words were cut short as the Boarbatusk approached. She leaped out of the way at the last moment.

"Oh! Right! Belly!"

She said, just as the Grimm skidded to a halt, turned around, and to Rin's surprised, rolled into a ball and charged. Ruby narrowed her eyes, her semblance flaring, and leaped out of the way of the attack. Her scythe transformed as she skid across the classroom floor, at the exact moment when the Boarbatusk slammed into the side of a wall. In one fell swoop and slash, she cut through the Grimm's abdomen, exterminating it.

"Yeah, way to go Rubes!"

Her sister cheered from her seat, fist in the air.

Ruby returned the gesture with a wide grin.

"I volunteer for the next one."

A new voice called out almost immediately.

Shirou stood up, earning a few concerned glances from team JNPR. The professor nodded an okay as the nineteen-year-old stepped down.

"This should be interesting."

Yang whispered to Weiss beside her. The heiress simply watched, her hands clenching into fists. These people claimed to be magi, magi— as in magic. In her brief experience with her teammates at Emerald Forest, Weiss did not fail to notice that among the four of them, she was the one who made use of the most Dust in combat. If Rin and Shirou's titles made sense, then in theory they should be fighting in a way similar to hers. At least, she thought, if they even used Dust where they came from.

Shirou stood with his feet spread apart, distributing his weight perfectly, Pyrrha observed.

The other students glanced at each other, curious if their guest was planning to fight the Grimm without weapons. Their questions were answered when Shirou closed his eyes briefly and whispered two words.

" _Trace. On."_

Green lines crisscrossed from his shoulder to his arms. Magical energy gathered and surged, molding into the forms of two swords. Students gasped in awe, and the professor himself raised a curious eyebrow. He was excited about seeing their guest fight, even though he did not show it.

Two curved swords appeared in Shirou's hand. They were beautiful to look at, thought Ruby, but they were also so simple. The swords did not seem to have any complex mechanisms like her scythe or Yang's gauntlets, but they were elegant and practical. She instantly wondered how Shirou did what he did. Was that his semblance, the ability to summon weapons from out of nowhere?

 _Oh my gosh that's so cool!_

Blake glanced at Rin, noting that the girl was paying more attention to the still unopened box than her boyfriend.

"Are you ready, Mister Emiya?"

"Yes, Professor."

The box opened and to everyone's surprise, the Boarbatusk within was already rolling forward like a bullet. Whether he was taken off guard or simply surprised, Shirou tried to slash at the Grimm instead of evading. The result was obvious. The Grimm crashed into Shirou like a truck, sending him flying at the wall and sending his swords spinning in the air.

Before shock came laughter, as Cardin and his friends rolled in their seats at the display of incompetence.

Ruby gave the boys an annoyed look, but everyone else's attention was focused on Shirou. The orange-haired boy groaned and forced his eyes open, just in time to avoid the tusks of the rushing Boarbatusk. He dove to his right, causing the Grimm to slam into the wall behind him.

"What is he doing?"

One of the students muttered, more out of confusion than concern.

The professor watched closely, taking note of Shirou's calmness instead of his clumsiness.

The boy exhaled a breath of tired air before summoning a new pair of swords in his hands. He stood straight again, this time more ready for the Grimm. Pyrrha was watching more closely, as were the rest of team JNPR. But she was paying especial attention to the swords.

 _Those just aren't made from metal._

She noted.

The Grimm pulled away from the wall, blood-red eyes glaring at Emiya.

Shirou watched the creature move, anticipating an attack. Instantly, he triggered his magic circuits and reinforced his legs. The creature roared, leaped into the air and spun— the same cannonball attack it did before.

His reinforced legs allowed him to surpass the limits of a human body, bringing his speed to a fraction of that of a Servant's. The Boarbatusk shot forward like a missile, tusks slicing the very air.

Shirou moved with enough speed to destroy the floor.

Only professor Port, Pyrrha, Ruby, and a few other fast enough students were able to catch a glimpse of how fast Shirou moved. He disappeared in a blur and a boom of sound. In the very next moment, what looked and sounded like half a dozen slashes exploded in the space between him and the Boarbatusk. The Grimm was torn apart, its form disappearing like smoke in the wind.

Shirou landed on the opposite end of the classroom, swords already dissipating.

Cardin and crew watched, mouth agape, not knowing what transpired.

Everyone watched, not knowing what to say.

Shirou turned and faced the professor, bowing slightly. After a bit of hesitation, the professor bowed slightly in return.

 _Must be a custom where they come from._

Professor Port thought to himself.

"I'll take the last one."

Before Shirou could make his way back to his seat, Rin had already raised her hand to volunteer. The professor nodded, allowing her to go. After Shirou's display, he doubted that the other students wanted to go. They were all too curious about their guests to attempt to show off.

"Psssst. Shirou."

Nora called out, leaning over Ren's shoulder, much to the latter's annoyance.

"Are you a ninja? Because Ren's basically a ninja and you kinda moved like a ninja, but you destroyed the floor and that wasn't very discreet, so maybe you _aren't_ a ninja— but are you a ninja?"

"I'm not a ninja, Nora."

Shirou smiled kindly.

"That's exactly what a ninja would say."

She pointed two fingers at her eyes, then two fingers back at Shirou.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Pyrrha smiled at Nora's antics, before she noticed Jaune's sigh.

"What's wrong, Jaune?"

"Oh nothing. I just thought he was, you know, not that good."

"Why would you think that? He did claim that they held out against a bunch of Grimm, you know."

"That's true, but well forget it. His friend is up."

The two students watched as Rin gracefully stepped onto the floor, gingerly stepping aside from the rubble that Shirou made.

"I wonder how she fights."

Ruby whispered to her sister.

"Maybe with swords like her boyfriend?"

Blake suggested.

"Nah, that's boring."

Yang said.

"Maybe she likes punching things, like me? We both have pretty long hair, you know."

"What? What does that have to do anything?"

"From a book I read, Weiss."

"A book you read."

"Yes! Ah you wouldn't understand, only peasants like us have access to super-secret books about the art of being able to tell people's fighting styles—"

"That doesn't even make sense—"

"SSSSSSSHH! Professor Port's opening the cage."

Weiss sighed and looked at Rin. Rin held her hand forward as if it were a gun, and Weiss watched in awe as red energy began to gather at the tip of her fingers. She held forward two fingers, as red lines crisscrossed on Rin's arm. The lines on her arm were different than on Shirou's, but they had a similar design. Weiss wondered if the girl made use of glyphs like her.

Her question was answered when a faint circle began appearing around Rin's hand.

As the cage door opened and as the third Boarbatusk rushed forward, a ball of red energy exploded forward from Rin's hand.

 _Exploding glyphs. Of course._

The red energy bounced off the Boarbatusk's head much in the same way as Ruby's bullets. The beast came charging forth. Rin stepped to the side to evade it. It wasn't as fancy as Ruby's leap to the sky, but it did its job. As the Grimm came for another run, Weiss observed as Rin held all of her fingers forward this time. The glyph that appeared in front of Rin was thrice the size and it glowed like an angry sun's.

A loud crack like lightning, exploded from Rin's spell circle, sending a ball of condensed curses toward the Boarbatusk at a hundred meters per second. The shot tore through the Grimm's skull as if it were made of cardboard, exciting out the other end of its body.

[—

"You have laser hands!"

Ruby exclaimed, standing up in excitement.

"Could you teach me how to do that? I mean, I already have Crescent Rose, but laser hands would still be so cool to have."

Ruby turned to her sister.

"Yang, do you want to learn laser hands?"

"I don't think she can teach us that Ruby."

The girl frowned instantly and almost leapt toward Rin,

"What? Why? Because if that's your semblance, then I'm really, really jealous."

Rin tilted her head. They were at the cafeteria now, grabbing something to eat.

"Doesn't you semblance allow you to move really fast? Super speed, basically?"

"Yeah, but your boyfriend can do that too. Maybe not as fast, but—"

She gasped.

"Does he have laser hands too?"

Rin shook her head, forking a hotdog.

"Shirou can use a Gandr spell, but he expends too much prana when he does it and his shots look like spaghetti."

"Wait,"

Weiss said.

"I know you explained this beforehand, but I've been meaning to ask, do you and Shirou have the same skills— powers?"

"You could say that, but not really, I guess? Magi like us mainly use spells to do things, and we need those spells to go beyond our weak, squishy bodies."

She gestured at the four members of RWBY.

"From observation alone, I can already tell that Shirou and I are a lot weaker than you guys."

"What? No way."

Ruby remarked.

"Well. If we don't use magic, I mean. But I'm not really sure, really. At the very least, the people here are stronger than the ordinary folk we have back home."

"So you're not normal?"

Ruby said.

"Well, I mean not normal-normal, but normal like everyone else where you came from? Wait. Where am I going with this."

"We're the exceptions, not the rule, if that's what you're saying."

"Oh cool,"

Yang remarked.

"So you guys are basically your version of huntsmen?"

"We don't go around saving people and fighting monsters, at least, not usually, if that's what you're asking."

"Uh, guys can we please go back to my question, please?"

Weiss huffed indignantly.

"Oh, right, about our powers."

Rin said, popping a banana slice into her mouth.

"Shirou and I can use similar spells, when the demand calls for it, but we more or less have different styles. Magi are more inclined toward certain types of spells than others, but there are still a lot of baseline spells that anyone can perform. Gandr, that thing I did—"

"Laser hands?"

"—laser hands, is a spell that's been in my family for generations. It's pretty multi-purpose so I've taken a liking to it. But Shirou isn't as inclined with traditional magecraft, so he sticks with what he knows."

"Those twin swords of his?"

Ruby asked, smiling.

"Yes, Kanshou and Bakuya."

"But they looked so ancient, I was surprised that he was so good with them."

Remarked Yang, as she glanced at Blake who was only silently listening.

"Eh, Shirou's good with his hands."

Yang grinned.

Blake smiled slightly.

Weiss rolled her eyes.

Ruby was completely oblivious.

"I—I didn't mean what you guys thought I meant."

"Suuure."

Yang teased.

Rin sighed, palming her face.

"I walked right into that one."

"You sure did, Tohsaka."

Rin finished her meal and carefully placed her spoon and fork on the tray.

"Well then, what's your next class?"

[—

It was strange. Here they were, in a faraway world, yet the skies still looked more or less the same. Jaune mentioned something about the moon being shattered, but in the cloudy evening that claim was hard to confirm. The dorm room balcony was unoccupied, save for one Shirou Emiya. The cold air brushed against his face, as a few stars hung in the endless vast expanse of the night sky.

"Oooh~ Cold~"

A door swung open and a certain magus sat down beside him.

"I'm surprised at how open you were, Rin."

"Oh? What ever do you mean, Emiya-kun?"

He gestured lazily with his hand, imitating Rin's higher-pitched voice.

" _Hello, we're magi._ That's the sort of greeting I never imagined to hear from you."

Rin shrugged. She was dressed in her pajamas, which was now clean of dirt and grime. Whether she used magecraft to clean it or if she found her way into Beacon's laundry rooms, didn't concern Shirou too much.

"You said it yourself while we were watching them approach in the forest. They didn't move like the ordinary humans we know and love."

Shirou frowned.

"Hmm. Yeah. But still, just telling them that we're magi outright?"

"You saw what these people are capable of. We've only just confirmed that they have civilian types in this world, but even they have auras that make them just a bit stronger, just a bit faster than the ones back home. If we wanted to be taken seriously, we had to, well, show off."

"Yeah. Show off. Getting hit by that Boarbatusk was fun."

"It's your fault for being so slow."

"I didn't think it would move that fast."

"You fought against Gilgamesh."

"Yes, but Gilgamesh isn't exactly… well, fast. He did a whole of swearing and calling me a mongrel, but fast is the last word I'd use to describe him."

He stared at his palm, closing it and opening it slowly.

"Still. It won't happen again."

"Hmm."

Rin nodded.

"Rin. So. Second magic?"

"Second magic."

She grit her teeth and glared angrily at nothing in particular.

"Zelretch. That lunatic, sadistic, crazy, son-of-a—"

"Rin…"

Rin seemed to visibly deflate. She leaned back, balancing her weight on her elbows as she watched the cloudy sky.

"I'll figure something out. I'm not even sure how second magic works, but— by the looks of things, whatever happened basically just destroyed our bedroom."

Shirou shrugged, unconcerned.

"We can fix it. Reinforcement is basically magic."

Rin sighed audibly, exaggeratedly.

"You're being very optimistic. And it's rubbing up on me."

"That's a good thing."

Shirou smiled a genuine smile, one that he started giving more and more lately.

"But we'll get back, won't we?"

Rin asked a tinge of uncertainty in her voice.

They were close. They were dating. They loved one another. But neither one was very affectionate. He placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded solemnly.

"We'll get back."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the quiet school below and around them. Remnant was different. But in many ways, coming here from Earth was just like coming to England from Japan. A magus is flexible. This was nothing more but another challenge to tackle, another question to answer.

"Weiss likes you, doesn't she?"

"You could say that."

"Well… did she hear you swear yet?"

"No…."

"Well that's not going to last then."

"Shut up, idiot."

* * *

formerlyarandomreviewer- Yeah, sorry about that. I'm transitioning from always writing in the present tense to the more common practice of past tense. Some mistakes are still getting through.

Just me - I'm just focusing more on Rin for a bit. Most crossovers feature Shirou, anyway, might as well let Rin have her turn for a while.

YuukiAsuna-Chan - Ozpin wants to observe Shirou and Rin. He can get a better idea out of their personalities/abilities by exposing them to more people. Plus I like JNPR, they're hilarious.

Q'Fox - Yeah, I tried explaining her reasoning behind that in this chapter.

Nosy John - Indeed he would be.


	3. The Observations of Tohsaka Rin

**Chapter 2  
The Observations of Tohsaka Rin**

"Do you guys mind if I turn our room into a Bounded Field?"

Rin asked her companions the next morning.

"A what-what now?"

Their diminutive leader asked.

"A Bounded Field. It's… hm…"

Rin looked at the ceiling, briefly trying to find the easiest way to explain her point.

"It's basically a place where I have more control over my magecraft. Think of it as my small, private workshop. It's also great for security and defense. I realize that I should probably just ask permission from the headmaster to use one of your labs, but I prefer to work somewhere close, easy to get to. We magi are finicky like that."

The last thing she wanted was to have her experiments be in a public place. While far from the most secure, having a workshop within arm's reach was the next best thing.

"Well I doubt anyone minds. But is there anything we have to do?"

Yang asked, rolling on her elbow to glance down from her bed.

"Don't worry; I'll do all the legwork. Like I said, it's also good for security. I'll immediately be alerted if someone messed with anyone's stuff, for example."

The redhead and her overly blonde sister responded at the same time.

"Do it."  
"Do it."

[—

"That Bounded Field you talked about… it won't… it won't allow you to read my mind, will it?"

Jaune asked, sitting on his bed and hugging his knees.

Shirou shook his head as he sat on Ren's currently unoccupied bed.

"No, that's a different school of magecraft that I'm not too familiar with."

"Wait. You guys can actually read minds?"

Pyrrha exclaimed, looking up from maintaining Akoúo̱.

Shirou shook his head slightly.

"It's not really mind control, more like, memory manipulation. But don't worry. Like I said, I don't know how to do it."

Nora lifted her eyes from her book and narrowed them suspiciously at Shirou.

"That's exactly what a mind reader would say."

[—

"And she was like, 'I'm gonna open my palm and sha-zaa,' the books we were using to keep Yang's bed on top of Blake's bed turned into… sturdier books."

Ruby said after animatedly explaining last night's events to her friends. Members of both teams sat together in the library, gathered around a makeshift long table. While the library was large, their section of the library was mostly empty. Ruby earned a couple of ugly looks from the few students who were trying to study nearby, but most were fine with moving away without complaint.

"Wait, why are you using books to keep your bed on top of Blake's—"

"Because we made bunk beds, Jaune. Weren't you listening?"

"Oh. I suppose that… wait, why did you make bunk beds for?"

"We brought too much stuff."

Blake answered on behalf of her teammates, her attention never leaving her book.

The teams sat on opposite sides of the long table, save for Weiss who was away. Pyrrha and Jaune sat together, with the former reading a book and the latter reading a comic hidden inside a book. To their right was a half-asleep Nora and a silently reading Ren.

Ruby sat opposite of Jaune with an opened 'History of Firearms' book. Her sister was to her left, hands deftly tapping away at her scroll, while Blake was engrossed in an obviously non-academic book.

"They do seem to have a lot of tricks up their sleeves."

Pyrrha noted with a slight nod.

"I wonder what else they can do."

"As awesome as they are, we still don't know a lot about them."

Yang pointed out.

"Maybe someone should prod them with questions eh? They look open enough."

She glanced to her little sister.

"Prod them questions, Rubes."

"What? Why me?"

"Because you're our team leader! It's your job!"

"Whaaaat? You do it. You're older and— oh here they come."

The fifteen-year-old glanced over her shoulder toward Rin and Weiss. The two girls were in animated conversation, but their voices were low enough to not warrant any attention.

"Well they seem to be getting along."

Yang pointed out.

"Can't blame Weiss, Rin's pretttty cool."

Ruby said.

"She's so ladylike _and_ she has laser hands. I wish I had a sister like her."

"Hey! I have shotgun hands! Those are just as cool if not cooler."

"You're right, Yang. I'm sorry!"

Ruby tilted her chair to hug her elder sister, which the latter warmly returned, fake tears flowing from the girls' eyes.

Weiss and Rin took their places by Blake's side, both girls plopping down a small pile of books between them.

"Four kingdoms,"

Rin had said.

"Vacuo, Mistral, Vale, and Atlas. Sounds easy enough to remember. And you're from Atlas, Weiss?"

"Yes. It's a lovely place, you should come and visit some time."

"Wow Weiss, you're actually inviting someone to visit Atlas? That's… something, I guess."

Yang pointed out, elbowing Ruby.

Weiss huffed indignantly, rolling her eyes.

"What about you, Rin? Care to tell us about where _you_ came from?"

Yang asked casually.

The other students, save for the sleeping Nora, not so subtly shifted their attention. Rin opened one of the books she took before answering.

"We and Shirou came from Japan, a small island nation somewhere in the east of my world."

"Oooh, Japan."

Ruby cooed.

"It was home, for a while. But, well things happened and Shirou and I temporarily moved to England."

"And that's another kingdom, right?"

Yang asked.

Rin didn't bother correcting her usage of 'kingdom' instead of 'country.'

"Yes. This place— Vale, reminds me more of England than Japan, actually. Fancier architecture, wider streets, ugly monsters invading your personal space—"

An image of a certain blonde heiress appeared in Rin's mind.

"—our life in Japan was quieter, a bit more down to earth."

She ran her finger across the words on the books in her hand.

"It's strange though, how our languages are so identical. I guess some things just transcend worlds. Or maybe it's a coincidence. Either way, I'm just glad I can read the literature here."

She blinked her eyes twice before looking up.

"Speaking of which, where's Shirou?"

"Ozpin called him up to his office a while ago."

Yang answered.

"Ahhh."

Rin looked to the other huntsmen-in-training, sitting opposite of her and smiled. They had already been introduced, and as much as she'd like to chat, they were all still in a library. This was the perfect place to learn about this world. With the conversation quickly dying down, Rin dug into the book in her hand. Weiss was kind enough to show her around to the library's history and politics sections. There, she quickly found the books she was looking for.

Remnant was a fantastical world. The constant threat of monsters, the presence of auras and semblances and incredibly impractical-looking transforming weapons— everything sounded straight out of fiction. But despite these crazy facts, the people of Remnant still abided to a variety of rules.

Everyone apparently possessed an aura, but only a few were skilled enough to develop their skills to the point of lethality. This world had its share of wars and conflict, of dictators and villains, just like Earth. But unlike back home, a singular cause managed to bring humanity together. Rin would have been jealous, if not for the fact that this cause involved millions of soulless monsters.

An hour passed and Rin was still buried in her books. She skimmed most texts to get to the juicy parts, sometimes ignoring books in their entirety. Auras and semblances sounded mystical the first time she heard about them. But both 'powers' still functioned under a strict set of rules. Auras could run out, like Od or Mana, and Semblances, while unique to each person, still functioned a lot like magecraft.

There were no records of Semblances that allowed people to be brought back from the dead, to create matter from nothing, or to travel through time. None of the Semblances, ironically, resembled the ability to perform true miracles.

While this fact worried her, it was not enough to deter her from her search.

"You should take a break."

A familiar voice said as a familiar hand slapped an unfamiliar device right on top of her book.

"Hey!"

Shirou pulled back a seat and sat next to Ren.

"Professor Ozpin wanted me to give you that."

He grinned and expertly activated an odd looking, silver contraption, showing it to Rin.

"It's apparently called a scroll. Basically they're version of a cellphone."

Nobody on the table missed the almost sadistic-looking grin on Shirou's face. Everybody missed the brief expression of utter horror on Rin's.

"I played around with mine on the way here and would you guess it, it's actually a lot more advanced than the ones we have home."

Shirou smiled as he pulled apart the top and lower parts of the scroll, doubling the device's screen size.

Rin had to suppress a yelp.

"Ahhh— ahhhh that's— that's— nice."

She smiled, closing her book and gingerly holding up her own scroll, making visible effort not to touch the screen.

"But right now, I'm knee-deep in research, Shirou. I'll fiddle with my scroll later."

She said, quickly regaining her composure.

"Are you sure? It has some pretty great features."

Shirou asked, poking a random icon on his scroll. It launched what he assumed to be its version of a notes app. Satisfied, he typed, 'Rin is bad with technology.' and tilted it toward Ren, causing the normally-stoic boy to smirk.

Rin huffed and opened another one of her books.

"Shirou, if you're not here to study, then I suggest you go elsewhere."

She glared at him, venom in her eyes.

"You're bothering me."

Smiling and satisfied with his teasing, Shirou closed his eyes and bowed.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, Rin. I'll keep quiet now."

He reached over the table and picked a book from Rin's 'finished' pile, opening it and diving into the words.

A few more minutes of silence passed, as each member of team RWBY and JNPR focused on their own devices. Rin fixated on her reading, back straight, chest out, looking as dignified as dignified can be.

The silence was broken when Rin's scroll began ringing, causing her to yelp in surprise.

Shirou stared at her, his scroll glowing in his hand as it waited for Rin's own device to answer. He did not smile, nor grin, but he still enjoyed the moment.

[—

Rin and Shirou walked side by side, not really knowing where to go. The streets of Vale were busy. Civilians from all walks of life walked to and fro, some alone, most with a companion in tow. Despite being told that the Grimm were literally always on humanity's doorstep, there was still an air of normality everywhere.

At a glance, they looked no different from any other human in Vale. They were dressed the part, Shirou in a light-colored jacket, slacks and scarf, and Rin in a black miniskirt and buttoned blouse.

"There's a certain charm to exploring a city without a guide."

Rin noted, thinking back to Ruby enthusiastically volunteering to show them around Vale. Rin however declined. Ruby had classes to attend to, and Rin didn't want the girl to incur absences on hers and Shirou's behalf.

"We still shouldn't wander too far from the academy."

Shirou pointed out, pocketing his hands.

Rin just huffed.

"You're being paranoid, Shirou. Learn to relax for a bit. Speaking of which, I wonder if baseball exists here on Remnant? I'm in the mood for—"

"We don't even have any money, Rin."

She turned on her heel and grinned, holding up one finger. A few of her magic circuits flared. After a brief flash of magical energy, a wallet stuffed with the local currency appeared between her fingers.

"Rin. No."

"What?"

"No."

She scoffed, dissipating the effect of Gradation Air with a wave of her hand.

"I was kidding."

She looked around the city and tilted her head toward a nearby park.

"Since we don't have any money, why don't we just relax a bit?"

There were roughly two dozen people milling about the park. Some were students, dressed in Beacon's uniform, but most were civilians. Stone-and-steel benches lined a red brick road. Tall green trees surrounded a relatively small manmade lake, where a few kids were playing with remote controlled boats. Newspaper stands mingled with toy stands and food stands beside a nearby playground.

If he didn't know any better, Shirou would have thought that they were still in London.

The pair found an empty bench and sat down, facing the lake.

"You know I'm starting to doubt that Zelretch has anything to do with this."

Rin said, after a few moments of silence.

"He's spoken to me… once, ever since we arrived at Clock Tower. And that was only a five-minute talk, asking me on how my family was doing."

A hint of sadness appeared for a second in Rin's eyes.

"But he didn't seem that interested in what I was really up to and I doubt that I'm even that important to him. If you're a Sorcerer who can literally look into any possibility, into any dimension— what would be the point of throwing a pair of amateur magi into God-knows-where?"

"I don't think we're amateurs anymore, Rin."

"That's not the point!"

She furrowed her brows and leaned back, crossing her arms.

"Something else is involved here. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Zelretch is crazy but there are so many other things that could have brought us here."

She sighed and leaned on Shirou's shoulder.

"I was up all night in the library. It normally closes at around 10, but I got special permission from our good friend Professor Ozpin."

Shirou frowned slightly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not that I didn't want you to join me, it's just that you were sleeping when I came over to ask. You slept like a rock, by the way. How you can do that while we're stuck on an alien planet is beyond me."

Rin paused to watch a couple of teenagers jog by. Despite their superior physique, the people here still enjoyed a good work out, apparently.

"Anyway, I delved into a couple of science books to figure out how this crazy world worked. I focused on the topics of Dust and Auras, specifically. Figured that they're the closest things they have to magecraft."

Rin dug into her pocket and produced a small notepad, handing it to Shirou. Her notes were written in Japanese, with the occasional English or German phrase strewn about. Unless the same languages existed in this world, it would be impossible for anyone to decipher the notes at a glance.

"Those are still mostly just theory, but the biggest thing I discovered is that Aura is basically just Od."

"Od? In its raw state?"

"Yeah. But it's always activated. It's… hard to explain. I don't think the people here have magic circuits, but their bodies are capable of producing an insane amount of Od."

"Rin. How do you know this? You couldn't have come up with that theory just from reading a book."

Rin huffed proudly.

"I may or may not have been secretly experimenting on my roommates."

"Ah."

Shirou was not surprised by her straight-faced admission.

"Anyway, it's almost like everyone here has their own miniature magic core. Not as powerful as Saber's of course, but powerful enough to cause their Od to permanently affect their bodies. Their Od wraps around their body like a shield, and it courses through their bodies like a second bloodstream. But the Od isn't being transformed into actual magical energy."

"That's… odd."

Rid rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger.

"Now's not the time for puns, Shirou. While Od makes everyone here stronger, faster, and tougher than anyone back home, no one really seems to be capable of utilizing Od to its full potential. I don't even know if the people here can even tap into Mana. I also went jogging with Yang and Blake this morning, and let's just say I had a bit of trouble keeping up."

Rin dropped her head, defeated.

"How the hell can Yang even run ten kilometers with those— anyway, I later challenged Yang to some arm-wrestling. With, and without reinforcement. You can guess how that turned out."

"Did you easily win in the second round?"

Rin shrugged.

"There was a bit of a struggle, but the strength difference was still obvious. I had to reinforce my bones in addition to my muscles, though. There was a point when I was afraid that they'd snap."

"I wonder if you can beat her in a duel."

Shirou thought idly, looking at the sky.

"That's not a question anyone wants answered."

Rin deadpanned, glancing at him.

"Anyway, that's all I discovered when it came to Aura. In theory, with the proper study, everyone in this world has a higher potential of being a magus than the people back home. It may take generations for families to develop proper magic circuits, but if that happens, the magi here will no doubt be superior to the average magi on earth. Maybe not Age of Gods level, but— close. More mysteries, less practitioners and all that."

She gazed determinedly at nothing in the distance.

"That's why we will uphold our duties and keep the secrets of magic a secret."

"Says the girl who revealed to everyone that we're magi in the first place."

"That was born out of circumstance, Shirou, shut up."

Her voice brokered no argument.

Shirou skimmed through her notes, not really bothering too much with analyzing every single line. He was a Spellcaster, above all else. Like Kiritsugu, his actual knowledge of thaumaturgy was marginal at best. That didn't mean that he couldn't understand Rin's notes, but it meant that he understood that Rin was better off handling these matters on her own.

"Why didn't you use your scroll to take notes?"

"Shut up. Next is the matter of Dust."

Rin mused.

"I'll need to find a way to get actual samples, but I surmised that Dust is basically like any other mineral. They use Dust for everything here. Normally Dust is triggered by Aura, so I may try experimenting with Od, but it's also being used for things like fuel and ammunition. This suggests that it can be manipulated like any other element. So if magecraft fails me, I can hopefully just use alchemy."

Her lips curl downward slightly.

"I'll have to if I want to keep up with you. We left all my jewels behind so I'll have to make due with Dust. It's too risky trying to implant spells and magic inside crystalline Dust, so I'll probably just make improvised explosives."

Her eyes darted to Shirou.

"By the way, did you know that some people here use Dust on their clothes and _on their bodies?_ These people are insane!"

"Rin. I hope you're not forgetting about the fact that we survived the Holy Grail War."

Rin huffed proudly.

"That's different. The Holy Grail War was a calculated ritual perpetuated by two great families and the Makiri—"

"—Rin…"

"—it was completely sane in paper and in practice. But embedding volatile minerals into your clothes and body is not!"

Shirou held up his hands, showing Rin that he didn't want to argue.

"Okay, okay."

"In any case, while conducting further research on Aura and Dust, as well as learning about Semblances is important, our main goal right now is to learn the most we can about our hosts."

She gave him a daring look.

"This world is hostile, Shirou. It's as if a hundred dead apostles are always gathering outside a city's walls. Most of the people here know how to fight. We're not used to the rules here. We need first-hand experience on how the people here conduct combat."

Shirou nodded his agreement, thinking solemnly.

"We're only bunking with students, but most of the people we see move and act with experience and skill. Except Jaune, I guess, but even his technique isn't _that_ bad. Goodwitch teaches combat class. Her teaching method is… unique, to say the least. Most of the class involves students or teams of students fighting each other 'til their opponent runs out of Aura. And seeing that most duels allow the students to use their weapons…"

Shirou sighed deeply, drooping his shoulders. He knew where Rin was going with this.

"Who do you want me to fight?"

"How about that Pyrrha girl?"

He raised a curious eyebrow at Rin, tilting his head away from her.

"…Nikos? Hmm. I'm not deaf, Rin. People talk about Pyrrha as this unstoppable force of nature. I've seen her in action. She's fast, strong, tough. She's the four-time champion of some tournament somewhere. She's good enough to be famous here and in the kingdom she came from. And you want me to fight her?"

Rin's eyes were bright and thoughtful.

"Yes. All those facts make her the best candidate to test out our skills!"

"But she's the exception, not the rule. For all we know, she's faster and stronger than her schoolmates."

"That just makes things better!"

Shirou hung back his head and hummed, looking at the ever blue sky.

"Okay."


	4. Spearwomen and Archers

"We should get uniforms." Rin suggested, poking her bowl of porridge.

"What for?"

They were strangers in this world. They had to blend in to survive. But blending in was hard. They stood out too easily from the crowd of younger, uniformed students. Their borrowed wardrobe was limited and short of counterfeiting money with magecraft, Shirou and Rin practically had no resources. Shirou knew where Rin was going with her suggestion.

He glanced at her. She smiled at him playfully. He watched her in silence as she placed a spoonful of porridge into her mouth, before taking it out ever so slowly.

"Alright, let's do it. Did you already ask Ozpin?" he said, memories of her in her old high school uniform, memories of her absolute territory flashing in his thoughts.

"They're not even being subtle about it, aren't they?" Yang remarked, three seats away, lilac eyes watching in amusement. "Blake?"

Her partner watched in silence, her breathing deep and ragged, her cheeks flushing pink.

"Blake are you even listening?"

No response. A certain set of thoughts raced through the black-haired student's head. Lewd thoughts.

"Blaaaake~?"

 **Chapter 3  
Spearwomen and Archers**

"It's a bit embarrassing," Rin remarked. "That we're taking so much advantage of your hospitality, headmaster. All while offering nothing in return. If it's possible, I'd like to change that." she leaned forward and intertwined her fingers, resting her chin atop her hand. "We magi are naturally secretive in nature. Our morals are not exactly similar to yours. It's not unheard of for our kind to sacrifice a dozen people just so we can maintain our secrets.

"But since I've long since realized that we are no longer in our own world, I'm willing to bend our rules a little."

"What exactly do you have in mind, Miss Tohsaka?" the grey-haired huntsman asked, sipping his coffee.

He was attentive, gauging the truth of Rin's words through the subtleties of her gestures.

"I'm a naturally inquisitive person. Auras and Semblances, are well, things that more or less have counterparts back in our world. The rules governing these concepts may be different, but their applications are oddly similar. Aura, to my understanding is a resource that allows you people to perform incredible feats. This makes Aura similar to what we magi call Od."

For the sake of simplicity, she decided to skip the more technical explanations involving the other types of magical resources.

"I wish to… study the similarity of your Aura and our Od. I'm not even sure if they are the same, but I'm curious enough to want to find out. I'm also curious about the application and use of Dust, as well as what exactly causes Semblances to manifest."

Ozpin quietly listened to her, occasionally nodding in appreciation.

"While I can study these things through literature that your library provides, I feel that it would be much more productive if I learned from an expert."

"You're suggesting that you enroll as a student in my school?" Ozpin asked. "As much as I'd like to facilitate this request, Beacon is equivalent to what you explained yesterday as college-level studies. The things taught here are far from basic."

"It's fine, sir." Rin smiled confidently. "I can handle it."

Ozpin considered for a few moments, the sound of gears moving in clockwork the only noise in the room.

"You said you wanted to return my gesture of kindness. But it sounds like your request only benefits you and your companion, Miss Tohsaka."

Rin leaned forward.

"Sir, if my theory is correct— that Od and Aura are similar in nature— I could, as remuneration for your kindness, help with your own… hm, research. Seeing that you're in a war with some kind of malevolent, world-encompassing evil, I assume that you need all the help you can get. I'll still hold back with _some_ of my opinions, mind you. We magi still subscribe to a strict set of laws, most of them regarding what we should and should not share to our fellow magi. But from my understanding, this world, despite its age and advanced level of technology, still has a somewhat limited understanding of Aura and Semblances."

"So, you essentially want me to hire you as a researcher? I thought you said magi were extremely secretive and not exactly… morally sound?" Ozpin asked with an amused smile.

"We are both those things. Families keep to themselves. Especially powerful magi are hunted down by the association that governs us. All magi work toward the same goal of advancing magic, to reach what we call the root. For a time… that was all that mattered to me."

Rin looked away, suddenly finding the giant moving gears under the floor to be an interesting sight.

"But now, well, let's just say that an experience a few years ago changed my opinion. The Grimm are a blight— a darkness that I want to help push back." a determined set of blue eyes raised to meet Ozpin's own. "I won't share you mysteries, the very fundamentals of magecraft and magic. But I can help you learn more about the powers that the people of this world possess."  
She waited before adding, "But only if I can confirm my theory, that Aura can function as a substitute for Od."

Ozpin watched the girl. Despite her youth, the girl spoke with a certainty that only a woman of experience could pull off. What molded this girl into this level of confidence and determination? She was secretive and intelligent, but she was also willing to help protect his world. Ozpin noted, with a resigned sigh, that this was an offer he could not refuse.

"You know close to nothing about our world, Miss Tohsaka. You're an alien, a stranger from a faraway place. Yet…" the grey-haired huntsman smiled contently. "I have long since learned never to ignore a second opinion."

[—

"Whoa. You can make swords." Ruby said, standing by the doorway of JNPR's room.

Shirou gathered his things and met her by the door. He glanced back at the display of blades he left lying on the floor.

"They're less impressive than the weapons that you guys use." he noted, shutting the door behind him.

He fell into pace beside the younger girl as the two of them walked through the hallway. Ruby forgot something in their room and rushed to return, and on her exit happened to catch Shirou walk in to JNPR's room. Curiosity overcame shyness and she peered inside. It took all her energy to keep herself from pouncing on the array of shiny blades.

"That's a really cool power you have. Can you make any weapon, and if soooo canyoumakescythes?"

"Yes and yes. But technically speaking, I'm not actually creating swords."

 _A stolen ideal._

"Just… replicating them."

"So. You're basically a Xerox machine?"

Shirou blinked twice. He didn't know they had those here.

"You could say that." he conceded.

The two weapon-nuts conversed as they made their way to Ruby's class. Shirou shared aspectsabout Tracing, but chose to withhold most of its secrets. He did not mention how modern weapons cost more energy to produce than their older counterparts, nor did he mention his ability to replicate the original wielder's mastery through Tracing.

Ruby in return spoke more about her aspirations than her powers. She wanted to be a huntress to help people. She wanted to help protect the world. She shared ideals not too different from Shirou's own. She had lost her mother, and that loss was a driving force that changed Ruby to who she was today.

Their arrival into Professor Goodwitch's lecture hall was met with an exaggerated gasp from Rin. "Sh—Shirou? Wha—What is the meaning of this?"

He stared at her blankly in response.

"What took you two so long to return? Shirou don't tell me… don't tell me that you're making moves on Ruby? She's fifteen, Shirou— _fifteen—"_

Yang snickered loudly beside her. The few other students who have already taken their seats grinned at the older girl's antics.

Shirou simply stared at Rin while his shorter companion huffed and puffed her cheeks.

"Rin." he said softly, taking a step forward and stopping an inch from her face. "You know you're the only person I love."

A silence hung in the room. Reeled back, hands up in defense, her face as red as a tomato, her ladylike demeanor shattered in an instant. Blake, Yang, and Weiss' eyes widened at the sight of Shirou's boldness. Nora gasped a loud, 'Oooh', and Pyrrha covered her mouth in mock surprise. Jaune watched in silence, taking mental notes, a glint appearing in his eye.

Rin was always a tease.

But she was easily flustered.

Shirou confidently strode forward, passing her still-frozen form.

"Miss Goodwitch is here. You should take your seat, _Rin._ "

He did not bother glancing back at Rin as he quietly took his place beside his adopted team.

The spectacled professor took her place at the podium, experienced eyes taking in each and every one of her students. She gave a brief introduction of the day's lessons, turning to the digital whiteboard to scribble some notes. At the end of her explanation, she stood forward with her back straight, her wand at her side.

"But before all that, let's start with a spar." the blonde teacher, despite her professional academic exterior, was surprisingly fond of watching her students fight each other. "Do we have any volunteers?"

The visitor waited a few moments, mostly out of courtesy, before he raised his hand.

"Mister Emiya, do you have a question?"

"Yes, ma'am." the orange-haired visitor stood up. "I want to ask permission to spar with one of your students."

His words earned a few confused gasps from the students in the room.

"This is actually something I've always wanted to do."

 _Well, not always._ He mentally noted. _This is mostly Rin's idea._

"But I did not know how to go about it. I am a guest in this school, above all else. I wouldn't want to impose on your hospitality by accidentally getting myself hurt or by accidentally hurting one of your students."

The blonde teacher considered his request for a moment. She crossed her arms and nodded.

"I will allow it. But from my understanding, you and Miss Tohsaka lack Auras. We use bladed weapons and live ammunition in our spars. You risk serious injury without an Aura to protect you."

Her words caused a few students to exchange confused looks. This was new information. Not even RWBY and JNPR knew about this fact. They knew that Shirou and Rin were from a different world, and that they possessed powers completely different from their own. But they never guessed that Shirou and Rin lacked the protective barrier that was common all throughout Remnant.

"It's fine, ma'am." Shirou smiled. "That just means that I'll just have to avoid getting hit."

His confidence was enough to sway the huntress' opinion. With an accepting nod, she gestured toward the rest of the class.

"Very well, Mister Emiya. Volunteers are given the choice of choosing their opponent. Who do you wish to spar with?"

Shirou's gaze instantly floated over to his fellow redhead. Pyrrha responded with a look of confusion that slowly gave way to realization.

"I want to challenge Miss Nikos."

To say that there was a great disturbance in the classroom's silence would have been an understatement. Students exchanged whispers, Rin smiled knowingly, and Glynda raised a curious eyebrow.

"An interesting choice. I assume you're aware of Miss Nikos' reputation?"

"I am, ma'am. That's why I chose her." Shirou's words revealed confidence but not arrogance.

"Well Miss Nikos, what do you say?"

The Mistralian tournament champion stood up and faced her teacher. "I would be honored to accept his challenge."

"Alright. Nikos, get your weapons and equipment and return in five minutes. Mister Emiya, seeing that you have neither weapons nor armor, please wait for Miss Nikos to return."

Glynda walked up the steps of the lecture hall and gestured for the combatants to take her place on the platform. Pyrrha retreated to the lockers while Shirou made his way to the center of the floor. He stretched and flexed his fingers, his eyes briefly meeting with Rin's.

Pyrrha returned not a moment later, dressed in the familiar gold and red of her combat armor. Shirou watched her movements as she took her place across from him, her shield Akoúo̱on one hand and her transforming spear Miló on the other.

"Spars normally end when a combatant's Aura levels are lowered to a dangerous level." Glynda explained. "But, seeing that you lack an Aura, it seems that we'll need to make changes to our rules for this bout. Do you have any suggestions, Mister Emiya?"

Shirou briefly recalled the image of Rin and Luvia battling at Clock Tower before answering.

"Why don't I just call out when I can no longer fight?" he paused before adding. "I am perfectly fine with bleeding or injury. Rin and I have access to magecraft that can heal my wounds."

"Very well then. I confer judgment to you, Mister Emiya. Notify us when you no longer wish to continue. I may also call off the bout if I see that you've sustained too many injuries. But for Miss Nikos, we will maintain our standard rules. If your Aura falls to dangerous levels, then you have effectively lost." Glynda waited a few seconds as Pyrrha raised her Aura. "You may begin."

The room darkened and protective barriers materialized around the combat floor. Pyrrha lowered herself into a defensive stance, her shield forward and her spear resting atop it. Shirou wordlessly materialized his own weapons, his stance much more loose.

Shirou watched Pyrrha and considered his options, taking particular notice of her choice of armaments. Heavier weapons hit harder, but were slower. Spear-wielders had reach and flexibility, but get in close enough and their range became nullified.

For most warriors, judging the capabilities of your opponent's weapons was an important step to take before delivering the first strike. For Shirou Emiya, things were different. The first time he laid eyes on her weapons, one week ago, he immediately learned everything he needed to know about them. Weight class, material composition, internal mechanisms, ammunition type, and Miló's transformation speed. He memorized all of these facts from a single glance.

He leaned forward and reinforced his legs, jolting forward in a sudden burst of speed. Reinforcement allowed him and Rin to traverse one-hundred meters in under six seconds. To everyone else in the room, he became nothing more but a blur.

Pyrrha reacted by instinct and raised her shield. Kanshou's black blade clashed with the shield, sending sparks in every direction. In an instant, Pyrrha thrust her spear forward, aiming for Shirou's chest. Surprised by her speed, Shirou took a step back and parried the blade with Bakuya.

He spun in his place as Pyrrha pushed forward with a series of deft strikes, Miló transforming into its sword form before spinning and stabbing into him with ferocious intent. Shirou deflected each blow, alternating between either blade as the Spartan-themed student maintained her assault.

While Shirou knew the capabilities of her weapons, he knew little of Pyrrha herself. The girl moved with skill and dexterity that would have made Lancer proud. The swiftness of her movements were precise, and the force of each blow was enough to tremble his bones.

In a sudden display of speed, Pyrrha swung at Shirou's head. The redheaded magus ducked out of the way, but Pyrrha quickly reversed the motion of her swing, sending the tip of her sword howling toward Shirou's legs. Magic circuits flared as Shirou kicked the ground, catapulting him ten meters away from Pyrrha. With her face frozen in concentration, the girl spun once and threw her shield at Shirou.

He blocked the shield as it came but failed to notice the gold-armored redhead behind it. Miló's extended length met with Bakuya from Shirou's desperate attempt to deflect it. The champion did not let up. As Shirou struggled to keep his footing, Pyrrha slammed into him with a flurry of swift blows, pirouetting and spinning in a precise but unpredictable manner.

"Wow, your boyfriend's pretty good." Yang remarked, glancing at Rin.

Rin was too busy focusing on the fight to respond.

"But not good enough." Rin said, more to herself than anyone else.

Despite the experience and power that Kanshou and Bakuya provided, Pyrrha's shield-and-spear combination provided her with an advantage in reach and raw defense. Shirou realized this. As Pyrrha spun to strike at his neck, he avoided it by rolling away and kicking the ground, throwing himself to the opposite corner of their arena. In a heartbeat's length he leapt into the air and materialized a black bow in his hand.

Surprise flashed for but a moment in the Mistralian's eyes. Six arrows shot forward like bullets, buffeting against her shield with enough force to push her back. Miló transformed into its rifle form and she fired back. A bullet made its way into Shirou's shoulder. As he landed on the ground in a crouch, he felt pain jolt from his shoulder to his arm.

Pyrrha wasted no time closing the considerable distance between them. While she could not traverse the ten-meters in an instant, she was still fast enough to catch Shirou mid-projection. Bakuya's half-protected blade caught the flurry of her next blows, but eventually the magus was overwhelmed. In a quick, practiced motion, she struck his rubs with the butt of her spear, knocking out the air from his lungs and throwing him back.

He stumbled in his place before another projection-powered leap allowed him to once again build distance from Pyrrha.

Shirou was beyond impressed. Despite her friendly façade and kind-hearted nature, when the girl wanted to fight, _she wanted to fight._ She showed no interest in friendly banter, her face stone from concentration.

Pyrrha stood in place, no doubt out of consideration for Shirou's condition. She knew how that last hit broke a few of his ribs. She was fighting an unfamiliar opponent with unfamiliar techniques. He had no Aura, but he was faster and stronger. A miss-timed thrust or slash could cut flesh and spray blood. And while she was confident in Shirou's claim of possessing magic that allowed him to regenerate wounds, she still did not want to risk hurting him too much.

Shirou waited for her to move, but when she did not he began to consider his options. On one side he was very badly losing, on the other side, he was holding back. He and Rin still had too many secrets to keep.

No Remnant in this room was aware of his ability to project any weapon and replicate the experience of the original wielder. No Remnant in this room knew of the special abilities of the weapons he possessed. He already revealed his ability to use a bow, but not his ability to project and bombard his opponents with a barrage of swords. No one in this room even knew that he and Rin shared magical energy.

He did not want to lose, but he did not want to reveal too much.

He inhaled deeply, ignoring the pain of his broken ribs.

"—Trace on."

Magic circuits flared. He opened his palm, stretched his fingers, and aimed his hand at Pyrrha. Sword after sword appeared in the air above and behind him. Generic blades of simple design, long swords and short swords, rapiers and sabers, gladii and spathae became real. Sixteen weapons appeared in total, a paltry amount to what Shirou was truly capable of.

Shirou did not want to reveal the special properties of his weapons. But this technique could easily be attributed as simply an advanced form of his Projection.

Looks of awe, admiration, and surprise reflected on the faces of their audience. Ruby's eyes wandered to each blade, noting how each weapon was different from the one beside it. Behind her, Ren contemplated whether or not this was some form of ultimate technique. Yang simply whistled at the impressive display.

And Glynda narrowed her eyes to observe.

Pyrrha was in no way intimidated by the wall of blades before her. She had clue behind the power of each blade once they inevitably flew toward her, but if the arrows Shirou shot were any clue, she would have trouble getting to him should he choose to bombard her.

 _This is the only way._

By limiting himself on his use of Projections, Shirou had no choice but to 'Gilgamesh' his way to victory. An odd, ironic phrase that Rin came up with.

The first blade vibrated above him, a generic English long sword, and shot forward.

Pyrrha deflected it with her shield as she charged forward. The sword spun in the air as the other blades followed. The redhead hid behind Akoúo̱ as she met the shower of swords head-on. The swords that struck her shield shook her to her very core, but her charge did not slow. The blades came faster and faster. The first sword that she failed to block riveted against her aura, dropping it by twenty-percent in an instant.

She was seven meters away from Shirou when she deflected her first sword with Miló. Surprised at how possible it was, she continued the practice on the next two blades that followed. She pirouetted, her shield blocking a long sword that aimed for her shoulder, and her spear, blocking a gladius that was aimed for her chest.

She was four meters away when Shirou realized just how fast she truly was. She dominated him out of technique instead of speed whenever their blades would clash. But now, he realized that not even a shower of blades was enough to overwhelm her skills.

Two meters.

The whites of her eyes met with the whites of his. Blades floated in the air, falling toward Pyrrha in slow motion as she flew toward Shirou.

— _Gram.  
_ — _Merodach._  
— _Caliburn._  
— _Caladbolg._  
— _Hrunting._

Countless weapons, countless swords, none that have truly belonged to him. He could draw on their power; summon them from the pits of his memories.

But even now, he realized that he could not rely on those borrowed weapons forever.

Pyrrha's blade stopped a centimeter from his throat. Swords floated in the air, as still as sleeping water. One by one they disappeared, their forms dissipating like snow.

"—and that's the match."

Glynda announced to the silence of the room.

Pyrrha lowered her weapon and breathed a sigh of relief.

Shirou took a step backward, smiled, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Good match." he said.

"Thank you." the Mistralian replied, returning the gesture. "You were impressive yourself."

The lights turned back on and the protective barrier dispersed. They made their way back to their seats, the room as quiet as ever. Rin not-so-subtly shuffled herself over to Shirou's side.

"Well that didn't end the way I thought it wound end." she remarked idly.

"You and me both." Shirou leaned back in his seat. Though far from exhausted, the bout still tired him. He glanced at Pyrrha, who was smiling at Nora's animated, excited antics. "She doesn't even look tired."

"Well, I guess that speaks volumes of their stamina." Rin commented.

Glynda Goodwitch did not return to the podium, and instead drew out her scroll.

"That was an impressive performance from both our combatants. Mister Emiya demonstrated quick thinking and versatility." she explained. "He quickly realized that his twin swords were outmatched by Miss Nikos' speed and defense, provided by her shield and spear. Because of this, he opted to rely on building distance and relying on ranged attacks. Unfortunately for him, Miss Nikos continued to perform as impressively as always and his efforts were not enough."

Rin glanced at Pyrrha, noting the lack of pride that reflected in her posture.

"Now," Glynda added, glancing at her students. "We have time for another spar. Do I have any volunteers?"

A certain boy raised his hand.

"Ah, Mister Winchester, who do you have in mind?"

* * *

A/N: Glad that people are enjoying this. Follow and favorite and all that.


	5. Cooldown

The day was tiring. After the exhilaration of watching Shirou and Pyrrha's spar, the only thing Ruby wanted to do was sleep. But thanks to the ton of homework Professor Port left them, sleep was nothing more but a distant dream. The girls laid down on their beds, exhausted from the day's events, as Rin headed for the shower.

"Jaune seemed pretty down, didn't he?" Ruby asked her teammates, her voice muffled by her pillow.

"If you're so concerned about him, maybe you should check up on him?" Blake suggested.

"Don't worry about it, Pyrrha's got that covered." Yang said, looking down from her bed. "But I already have an idea what's bothering him."

Weiss leaned back on her elbow and crossed her legs. She fingered through her notes before saying, "Winchester. Ugh."

"Oooh, the Ice Queen knows. Didn't know you paid so much attention to Jaune, Weiss." Yang teased, grinning from ear to ear.

"It's not that!" the heiress huffed. "I mean, everyone can see it. Have you seen Cardin? Always strutting around with his chest puffed, acting like he owns the place. He's been picking on Jaune since day one. Typical alpha male behavior."

"You sound like you'll get along then." Yang said. "With Cardin, I mean, not Jaune."

"Oh ha-ha, that's _very_ funny." Weiss closed her notes and collapsed on her bed.

After a moment of silence, Ruby spoke up.

"Think we should do something about it?"

"I don't know, Rubes, it's not really our fight." Yang shrugged. "Plus I'm sure Jaune can handle it. He might look like a wimp, occasionally act like a wimp, but I can tell that he's tough. He has something to prove. Someone like Cardin won't be able to knock him down for long."

The eyes of her three teammates widened in surprise.

"Wow." Weiss said. "That's… profound, Yang. I didn't know you had it in you."

The blonde brawler grinned and leaned forward on her elbows. "…plus I saw him in the showers this morning and man, despite the fact that he sucks at swinging a sword, _he_ _is ripped_." she emphasized her point with a low growl. "I swear I could crush coal into diamond on his abs."

"Aaaand there's the Yang I know." Ruby deadpanned.

The shower doors opened and out walked Rin, her long hair tied up in a bun. She sat on her bed, separate from team RWBY, and began silently blow drying her hair.

"You heading out Rin?" Ruby asked.

"Hmmm?" Rin glanced at the younger girl, a hairpin in her mouth. "Yeah, Shirou and I are going somewhere."

"You have money now?" Ruby asked out of nowhere.

"Ugh, you can't just ask people that!" Weiss protested.

Rin just laughed. "We don't. But we're not planning to go out to eat or anything. We're just going to find a place to talk."

Yang grinned instantly. "'To talk?' Is that some kind of code word for seeex?"

"Yang!"  
"Yang!"

Weiss and Ruby said at the same time, flustered.

"Wha—" Rin was just as flustered, but managed to keep her cheeks their original color. "What— no!"

"Awwww." Yang pouted in disappointment.

"We have a different code word for that." she said after a delay.

"Oooh."

 **Chapter 4  
Cooldown**

"So! Debrief time!" Rin said, enthusiastically slapping down her yellow notepad on the table.

Shirou cringed at her noise. They were in the barely occupied library on the second floor, surrounded by empty computer terminals. A few studious students sat far away from the pair. Luckily no one made a big deal out of Rin's noise.

Shirou tilted his head at the notepad, "Do you seriously have no plan to ever use your Scroll?"

"Hey," she pouted. "I will have you know that I have successfully used my Scroll to open the door to our room yesterday. That's an achievement, don't you think?" she smiled and flipped open the notepad.

Rin placed a dainty finger on a blank page. Magical energy burned and words appeared on the paper, one character at a time.

"Let's start with the basics. Speed, strength, and all that. How would you compare Nikos to the opponents you've already fought?"

"She's definitely not Servant-level, that's for sure." Shirou said. "But she's fast and her movements were hard to predict. The first few seconds of fighting against her reminded me of fighting Kuzuki. She was difficult to read and used her weapons creatively." he leaned back and rubbed his chin. "Though that's probably because her weapon transforms. Fighting her was not like fighting a traditional spear or sword user. The blade's center of gravity shifts based on its form, and she can make subtle adjustments to her stances and strikes based on that."

Rin jotted down notes with her pen and rubbed her temple.

"Right, right. Skip the technical sword-stuff for me, will you? What about her capabilities as a fighter, her physical feats, exactly?"

Shirou eyed the ceiling as he recalled his spar.

"You were right about us being stronger and faster with Reinforcement. She didn't hit as hard as I thought she would whenever our weapons clashed."

"Didn't she break your ribs?"

"Yeah, but that blow was particularly strong."

"She compensated by hitting harder?"

"Yes. By that point I felt that she had to. I think at some point she realized that technique wasn't going to be enough to defeat me. I felt her magical energy— her Aura, flare up at certain points to augment her strength and speed."

Rin looked up from her notes and raised an eyebrow, "I didn't notice that."

"It was very subtle." he shrugged. "In fact, everything she did was very subtle." Shirou narrowed his eyes and frowned. "I noticed that at some point… she tried to do something to Kanshou and Bakuya."

"You're going to have to give me more than 'something', Shirou."

Shirou raised his palm and placed it flat on the table. "You mentioned that Auras are basically shields, right? Like invisible, solid walls that protect people?"

"Yeah, sure. That's one way to describe Aura."

"So, when a projectile, say a baseball hits a wall, it's supposed to just bounce away harmlessly, right?"

"Yes…" Rin pouted. "What are you getting it?"

"It definitely wasn't Aura then." Shirou crossed his arms and nodded. "She was projecting something… or attempted to project something against my swords. At one point, when our blades clashed, I felt a barrier protecting her hand. This barrier tried to push Bakuya away, redirect it a small amount."

"So something like magnetism?" Rin tilted her head.

"Yes, but it wasn't that effective, like trying to use a leaf blower on Saber." Shirou shrugged. "That's probably her Semblance, isn't it? Magnetism?"

Rin jotted down 'magnetism' under a label of 'Pyrrha Nikos' on her notes. "Probably. At the very least, I'm glad that it doesn't affect noble phantasms."

"It worked on the rest of my swords, though." Shirou pointed out.

"When you attempted to Gilgamesh her?"

"Yes. She first deflected the blades with her sword and spear alone. But when I amped up my assault, I saw and felt her use her Semblance to redirect the rest of the blades."

"She had to," Rin conceded. "The one time you hit her, twenty-percent of her Aura just evaporated. Were those Noble Phantasms?"

"No. Just generic blades. Some of them were replicas of Saber's sword…"

"What."

"…that I saw at a renaissance fair."

"Ah."

Rin tapped her pen and thought about her next question. "What type of arrows did you shoot at her?"

"The ones that weren't strong enough to destroy a house, if that's what you're asking." Shirou deadpanned. "I didn't infuse any of the arrows with prana. Didn't think I had to. I shot at lower rates and velocities to see how they'd interact with her shield. Regular arrows seemed strong enough to knock her back a few inches while she deflected them head-on. After that, Pyrrha resorted to dodging and deflecting them instead."

"So, the Invincible Girl isn't so invincible after all." Rin mused. When Shirou gave her an odd look, she added, "It's her nickname."

They spent the rest of the hour discussing the spar. Shirou compared her speed and strength with his own, often using Kuzuki, Saber, or Archer as a basis for her feats. Rin paid attention intently, writing down every important detail in her notepad. As the clock hit eleven, Rin closed her notepad, the ink on the page on Pyrrha Nikos disappearing.

On their way back to the dorms, the pair spotted Pyrrha and Jaune talking on a rooftop.

"Want to listen in?" Rin asked, half seriously. "Maybe it's a steamy confession of love."

"Rin." Shirou gave her a look.

"Oh, fine." she huffed and stalked off ahead of him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Shirou."

Shirou glanced back up and saw that Pyrrha had retreated inside. He however stopped when he saw the sight of a familiar boy climbing the building's outside wall, eventually arriving on the rooftop where Jaune stood. Shirou reinforced his eyes and instantly recognized who the boy was. And judging by the way he and Jaune were talking, it was obvious that they weren't having the friendliest conversation.

[—

"You're immature and impulsive!" Rin walked in on the sight of an agitated Weiss yelling at a scared Ruby. "I have no idea what Ozpin was thinking putting you in charge!"

"Weiss…" the younger girl could only meekly whisper.

"Hey, that's pushing things too far!" Yang defended her sister, standing between her and the heiress.

Weiss was about to retort, when she saw Rin by the doorway. With a final, boastful huff, she turned away from the blonde and her sister and stormed off, passing Rin as she left. The nineteen-year-old magus stood awkwardly in her spot, not really knowing what to say or do. Yang sat her sister down on Blake's bed and began speaking to her softly. Rin strayed away from them and instead approached Blake, who was silently reading a book by the open window.

"Soooo…" Rin started. "…what happened?"

"Disagreements and misunderstandings." Blake replied. "Ruby was giving us one of her inspirational speeches when Weiss just sorta, snapped, I guess. Probably has something to do with how irate she's been lately."

"Weiss doesn't like inspirational speeches?" Rin grinned.

"It's not that." Blake narrowed her eyes and closed her book. "I'm not sure. In any case, I wouldn't think too much about it. Weiss has always been about proving herself. I think Ruby being assigned as our leader bothered her more than she let on."

Rin watched Yang comfort Ruby. The older girl had her sister in her arms, patting her head affectionately. Seeing the pair like that tugged at her heartstrings.

Could that have been her and Sakura, in some other time, some other world? Would she even be a good big sister in the first place? No. It didn't matter. Sakura was a Matou now, with challenges to face and responsibilities of her own. Now, in this world away from home, thoughts like those were nothing but a distraction.

 _Still._

Rin turned to Blake and smiled, "Do you have any idea where Weiss could have gone?"

[—

Rin found the white-haired heiress by the Cliffside, sitting with her legs hanging over the ledge. Her beautiful hair danced in the wind as the cold ocean air blew past. The wind chilled Rin to the very bone, but it didn't seem to bother Weiss. She approached the younger girl slowly and settled down to Weiss' left, hugging herself tight to protect against the biting cold.

"I know what you're here for." Weiss said. "And don't worry. I know what I did and I know what I have to do. I'll… apologize tomorrow."

"I can see why everyone calls you Ice Queen now." Rin noted idly.

Weiss blinked twice before replying. "Uh, yeah. This is summer weather back in Atlas."

"I can see that." Rin said, rubbing her arms. She gazed into the open sea, listening to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks below. "I lived most of my life in a city close to the sea."

Weiss glanced at Rin as the magus closed her eyes.

"I was never fond of visiting the bay. I guess I just didn't have the time, really— didn't find the time to enjoy the sea back home. I had a lot of weight on my shoulders in high school. Grade-A student, top of my class and popular to a degree. You know the drill."

Weiss raised her eyebrow in surprise. She still wasn't sure where Rin was getting at. "I thought you'd be more humble, Rin."

"I'm just stating facts." Rin replied. "If I close my eyes like this and listen to the ocean, I can pretend that I'm back home. One of my fondest memories in Japan was the first and only time I spent an evening by the sea."

"I thought you said you didn't like visiting the bay?"

"I didn't. But one night, I had to stay late after school. Shirou was there, waiting for me." a fond smile formed on Rin's lips. "We ate out and on our way home, we took a detour, until we eventually found ourselves by the bay. It was so quiet then, so peaceful. I don't remember why, but Shirou and I decided to spend the night right then and there, beside the sea."

"You just… slept there? What, where, on the sand? In an abandoned shack somewhere?" Weiss asked, incredulous.

"We're magi." Rin winked. "We managed."

"I don't think I want to know."

Rin laughed and turned back toward the ocean. "The evening seemed to last forever. There, under the moonlight and far away from the city, I felt distanced from all my responsibilities." after a moment of silence, she added. "Is it the same for you? Are you here because you want to escape the expectations that people put on you?"

Weiss leaned away, surprised. "Uh, not really? I just came here because I like the cold."

"Oh." Rin frowned in disappointment. That was a hell of an opener she gave, and to hear it wasted made her sad. "Well… My incredibly touching story aside, what's bothering you, Weiss?"

"Nothing is bothering me." the girl snapped back.

"So that argument you had with Ruby's your definition of 'nothing'?" Rin grinned.

Weiss slumped her shoulders and sighed. Her cheeks were slowly turning red from the cold, but she made no attempt to keep herself warm. "It's just not fair."

"What's not fair?"

"Her being assigned as our glorious leader."

"And why don't you think it's fair?"

Weiss hesitated before answering. On one hand, she knew that Rin wanted to help, but on the other hand, she wasn't sure if she should be burdening Rin with her personal problems. This was an issue between her and Ruby. No one else should be involved.

"You and Ruby are complete opposites, it's unbelievable." Rin said when Weiss did not immediately respond. "She's impulsive and awkward, you're precise and confident. She falls asleep in class all the time and you're a hardworking, organized student. You're wondering why, despite your traits, Professor Ozpin still chose her over you."

Weiss kept quiet and managed only a small nod.

"Well, I think Ozpin's decision boils down to two reasons." Rin raised her index finger. "One, because team WRBY— warbee— doesn't sound as catchy as RWBY, and two," she raised her middle finger. "because Ozpin has a point. Ruby _is_ the better leader."

"Wha— What didn't you just say—"

"I said what? I didn't say anything." Rin smiled. "I only said that you and Ruby are complete opposites. I said that she falls asleep in class and that you're a hardworking student, that she's socially awkward and you're confident in yourself. But do you really think that your traits make you the better leader?"

When Weiss chose to look away instead of replying, Rin continued.

"Being a leader is all about inspiring respect. It's not about strength, it's not about discipline, precision, or power— it's about having charisma and confidence. As painful as it is to accept, Ruby is a balanced blend of charisma and confidence."

"But she's so…childish." Weiss whined.

"She's childish, but she knows how to get things done." Rin replied. "She's basically a dolt—"

"—she is a dolt."

"—but she's a charismatic dolt. Our room is a complete and total mess. You guys made terrible, impromptu bunk beds, for God's sake! And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you allow those monstrosities to happen?"

Weiss frowned. As ugly as they were, she was proud of the bunk beds they cobbled together. "It was a three-to-one decision."

"Well, if you really wanted to be a leader, then you should have been able to convince them that it was a bad idea." Rin replied simply. "The point I'm getting at is that maybe you should give Ruby a chance. You're already following her lead, aren't you? Why not keep going? You can still show off by being her partner." she joked.

Weiss stood up and planted her foot firmly on the ground. "But I'm the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. My fathe— my family expects more from me."

Rin tilted her head. "So? I'm the heiress of the Tohsaka Family. My family is 200 years old. We have never failed to produce a powerful magus in generations. We are partly responsible for a ritual that may or may not have almost destroyed our world twice—"

"—wait, what?"

"—despite this, I still let Shirou do most of the heavy lifting whenever we get into trouble. I try to be the best at what I do, but I also realize that I can't be the best at everything. Sometimes you just have to put your faith on someone else."

Rin stood. She wasn't as tall as Yang, but she was still tall enough to look down at Weiss.

"Plus. You have a reputation to uphold. An heiress shouldn't lack confidence in her abilities. Ruby won the leadership lottery, but she's still not the best student in the school, right? It shouldn't hurt trusting that little red reaper for a bit, don't you think?"

[—

"Watching you do that never gets old." Nora mused, sitting beside Shirou.

The magus sat on his haunches in a corner of the dorm room. A blue cloth lay on the floor. Upon it were rows of blades. Knives, swords, spear tips, and daggers of various colorful designs lay together. None of the weapons were noble phantasms, but they have all at one point captured Shirou's attention. Shirou had his palm open, a blade in the process of materializing floating inches above the floor.

"They disappear after a few days, don't they?" Ren asked, sitting cross-legged on his bed.

There were only four of them in the room, with Jaune still away somewhere.

"Yes. They originally only lasted for a few hours, but luckily my Projection is getting better." Shirou replied. "This is basically my idea of an evening work out."

"Aside from the push-ups, sit ups, and squats you do?" Nora added.

"Yes." Shirou smiled.

"You'll have to do more than push-ups to beat Pyrrha though." Nora said, beaming. "Right Pyrrha?"

The Mistralian champion kept quiet. She sat on the table by the window, gazing outside, deep in her thoughts.

"Remnant to Pyrrha. Hello?" Nora called out. "Pyyyyyrrrhaaa!?"

Pyrrha blinked, knocked out of her thoughts. "Yes, Nora?"

"Are you okay? Are you thinking about Jaune? You're thinking about Jaune, aren't you?"

"I—I am not."

"She's thinking about Jaune." Nora said to Shirou. "She has a thing for him."

The champion flushed instantly. "I—I—"

"I've noticed." Shirou replied. "I think everyone's noticed." after a bit of hesitation, Shirou added. "I saw you two talking by the balcony a while ago."

Before Pyrrha could say anything, he added. "I didn't listen in, if that's your concern. But even from far away, I could see that you weren't exactly having the most pleasant of conversations. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Pyrrha replied, a bit more stiffly than she might have wanted. "Jaune's just stubborn, that's all."

Shirou considered telling her about Cardin, but decided against it.

"Whatever your problem is, I hope you'll both sort it out soon. You guys have a field trip tomorrow, don't you?"

Shirou lowered the completed blade beside its siblings, smiling in satisfaction. He glanced up at Pyrrha and gave her a knowing smile.

"Field trips are the best places for friends to make up."

Pyrrha looked away, biting her lip. Shirou had a point, but Jaune's stubbornness still grated her. His pride, his confidence— whatever you called it— didn't allow him to accept her help. It bothered Pyrrha to no end how much that hurt her.

"Will you be coming with us?" Ren asked as the silenced stretched on.

"Rin will, definitely. Tomorrow marks her first day as a student in your school." he mentioned Rin's intention to enroll her and Shirou to the school at lunch yesterday. Everyone's reactions were mixed, at best. "But I'm still not sure I want to go."

"You're not enrolling as a student?" Ren asked. "That hasn't happened in a while. Thousands of applicants each year try to get into Beacon. So many people would have loved to be in your shoes."

Shirou shrugged. "Enrollment is just a formality, anyway. It's not like Rin and I will graduate into actual huntsmen after four years. Rin probably just wants formal access to your libraries or something." he refused to tell them the truth, about her deal with Ozpin, at least until it was necessary.

"If Rin's a student," Nora said. "Then what will you be then? A loafer?"

"Nora!"  
"Nora!"

"Ozpin asked me to help with security." Shirou said. "It's… an informal arrangement. But he said that Beacon could always use the extra hands. I'm also planning on helping out wherever I'm needed."

"Like what, cleaning hallways and stuff? Like a janitor?"

"NORA!"  
"NORA!"

Shirou shrugged, not at all offended by the redhead's frankness. "Sure. Anything to pay back Ozpin and his sympathy."

Pyrrha and Ren shared a look, surprised by Shirou's kindness and willingness to help out at Beacon. Nora on her part crossed her arms and nodded before saying, "Man, Shirou. You're weird."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Slow chapter this week, I know.

To clarify a line from the previous chapter; Shirou isn't developing shame from being a Faker or anything. He doesn't have a problem with relying on stolen Noble Phantasms for combat. He only realizes that he probably won't always have access to these NPs because he won't always have an unlimited supply of prana to draw upon. Not to mention things could happen that could hinder him, should he grow too reliant on Noble Phantasms (e.g. Gilgamesh). Because of this, he wants to develop his other skills, in order to become a better magus and fighter. I'll clarify these thoughts in future chapters.

I would like to thank everyone who has been following the story thus far.


	6. Never Fall

Two identical vases had materialized on the wooden table. From afar, the vases were completely alike. But once touched, the differences between the two became apparent. One vase was heavier than the other, composed of seemingly denser materials and designed by an artisan's professional touch. The other was lighter and frail, a cheap replica of an original. Neither vase existed an hour ago, but through the miracle of magecraft they became real.

The cafeteria was empty save for nine figures, seated together around the two vases.

"So… are you guys going to use these vases in some kind of weird magic ritual or something?" Ruby asked. "Because if that's the case, I want to watch."

"It's just for an experiment." Rin dismissed with a shrug. "We just want to see how long the vases will last before disappearing. I'm still not sure if our magecraft is necessarily stronger in this world than our own."

"And this is one way to test that?" Yang asked.

"More or less. The specifics are a bit complex, but basically there's supposed to be a force present in every world that counteracts magic, or, well, anything that resembles magic. Or weird, unnatural happenings in general. It's all pretty boring stuff, I assure you." Rin promised.

It was 5AM and most of Beacon's students were still snuggly in their beds. Blake and Yang woke up early to engage in an early morning jog, but the noise they were making while preparing ended up waking their two other teammates. Across the hall, Shirou woke up early to meet up with Rin. Coincidences pilled upon coincidences, caused the rest of team JNPR to wake up. Now, the two teams found themselves in the cafeteria waiting for a special breakfast meal.

"Are you sure he doesn't need any help back there?" Blake asked, her eyes narrowing at the uninteresting black vases.

"Why? Are you volunteering to help him out?" Yang teased.

Instead of being annoyed, Blake instead just shrugged. "He's preparing food for eight hungry kids. He might need some help."

"Shirou's fiiiine." Rin said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "He's used to serving breakfast to swathes of girls."

An imaginary question mark appeared above the heads of her companions.

"So… Shirou's popular with the ladies, eh?" Jaune quipped, despite his apparent gloominess.

"You could say that." Rin looked away. "He wasn't the cutest guy around or anything, but he eventually made a reputation for himself in school. He eventually came to be known as the guy you'd go to if your club needed help with anything."

"That's pretty cool." Ruby admitted.

"Shirou's just a naturally helpful person." Rin shrugged.

"How did you guys meet, anyway? Were you like classmates or something?" Yang asked.

The truth was everyone was curious about Shirou and Rin. Despite having stayed with both groups for days now, there were still a lot of things that they didn't know about them. The two magi were for the most part open about their past and their powers, but Yang, and a few others knew, that there was always more to find out. They were people from a different world, with powers that were just so different. What was their culture like? What were the kingdoms of their world like? What kind of world did they live in?

"We weren't classmates. But you could say that I knew him in middle school." Rin glanced at Yang. "Then stuff happened—"

"Oooh stuff."

"—wipe your mind of whatever perverted thing you're thinking, Yang Xiao Long. Anyway eventually we just, I don't know, drifted together, I guess."

Rin considered mentioning the part about Shirou's cynical future self trying to kill him, but decided that the claim might raise too many questions.

"Wow, you guys just drifted together." Blake deadpanned. "How romantic."

"Hey, I'm not really good at telling stories, alright?" Rin admitted with a huff.

"Did one of you already like the other before you got close… or…?"

"Weiss? I—I'm surprised you're asking me that."

The heiress blushed. "I'm just as curious as everyone here."

Rin sighed and rubbed her temples. After spending days with her new friends, watching them flip through the air and spar with impractical, transforming weapons, she almost forgot about the fact that they were all so young. Rin wasn't that much older, but she was basically in college, and they in high school. As far as she knew, none of these kids had ever been in a relationship. Except maybe for Yang and Blake. Maybe even Pyrrha.

It was only natural for them to be curious.

"Well… Shirou had a, uh, crush on me yeah." Rin nervously scratched her chin.

"And you…?" Yang grinned.

"Yes, I liked him back, but not as— oh look he's here!" she gestured, hurriedly pointing at the approaching Shirou.

"I'm sorry for making everyone wait." the redheaded magus said to his newfound friends.

In his hands was a tray of colorful dishes. Rin leaned on the table to move the two vases away as Shirou lowered the tray. The huntsmen and huntresses in training's eyes widened at awe at the display. A variety of dishes were served, including bowls of Natto and fried eggs on rice, cold tofu, and a bowl of miso soup.

"Wooow, you really went all out." Ruby commented, her eyes darting from dish to dish.

"I'm actually surprised you manage to make all of these." Rin said. "Where did you even get all the ingredients?" _Where did that tofu even come from?_ "The rest of the school still needs to eat, Shirou."

"This isn't even half of what I prepared." Shirou laughed, turning around and returning to the kitchens.

"I don't even know what half of these are, but they all look so exotic." Weiss commented.

Shirou returned not a moment later with a more dishes, including bowls of tanuki udon, a couple plates of broiled fish, and two plates of rolled omelet. Blake stood and volunteered to help set up everyone's plates.

There was a brief bout of silence, as the collective forces of RWBY and JNPR gazed hungrily at the feast before their eyes.

"There's no need to wait for us to make the first move," Rin gestured. "Dig in."

And dig in they did. With no one really sure where to start (except for Blake who went for the fish), the students opted to reach for what looked to be the most appetizing dish based on their own personal tastes. Pyrrha reached for some omelets, Ren grabbed some steaming rice, Weiss and Yang started on some soup, and Jaune reached for a bowl of udon. Rin took her time before grabbing her own meal, settling on the few dishes that weren't as touched. While some were careful and apprehensive, others dug into their meals like hungry wolves.

Regardless of how the students initially approached Shirou's dishes, their reactions were more or less the same.

Ruby and Yang were brought back to their childhood, far away back in Patch. They imagined themselves with their two mothers and father, in a small house filled with laughter and childhood joy. Shirou's food gave them a glimpse of an ideal life they could never have.

The moment Weiss' tongue came in contact with the miso soup, she found herself warmed to her very core. She instantly wanted to socialize, to reach out and meet new people. Her Ice Queen persona melted ever so slightly.

Blake's eyes widened in surprise, the key to returning the White Fang to its former, peaceful glory flashing before her thoughts.

The courage of fire burned in Jaune and Pyrrha's hearts as they dug into their own meals.

Pyrrha realized her destiny right then and there. She needed to become a hero to save the world. All of her hesitations disappeared.

Jaune on the other hand realized the errors of his ways. He glimpsed a future where he stood tall and strong, with Weiss in his arms and the world at his back.

Ren was brought back to his childhood, in the orphanage that he and Nora grew up in. He closed his eyes in silent contemplation, smiling at the memories.

Nora dug into her meal wordlessly, too busy savoring every bite to entertain any other thoughts.

"Huh. You did quite a number on them, Shirou." Rin commented, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"I wasn't sure if I could get another chance to use the kitchen like this." Shirou said. "So I decided to go all-out."

The two magi smiled at one another, before their moment was broken with Ruby burping loudly.

"This is great." the diminutive leader said, before digging into her second dish. The other students were so engrossed in their own food that they didn't even react to her burp.

"Hey~ Shirou~" Yang said, leaning forward, her chest pushed against the table. "You single~?"

"Watch it." Rin replied a little too quickly, gritting her teeth.

The blonde laughed as she started to stalk the table for her next dish.

Rin sighed while Shirou smiled, appreciating the scene he managed to create. It brought the magus joy, knowing that just two weeks ago, none of these teenagers even considered the idea of Japan existing. Yet here they were, enjoying a Japanese breakfast that he prepared.

The students finished their meals a few minutes later. Ruby, Yang, and Nora slumped in their seats and released loud burps, while the more refined Weiss and Pyrrha merely wiped their mouths in satisfaction.

"That was just great." Ruby said happily.

"We should do this again sometime." her sister suggested. "Actually we should do this again all the time! Seriously, Jaune, we'll trade you Rin for Shirou if you want."

"Hey! I can cook too you know."

"She's right. She's a master of Chinese cuisine."

Yang tilted her head and grinned. "I have no idea what that is, but you have sparked my curiosity. Are you just going to let Shirou get away with today Rin?"

Rin huffed and crossed her arms. "Please. I know you're just goading me into cooking you guys breakfast."

"What? No, no you got it all wrong. I really am just curious about your world's culture, that's all!" Yang protested. "Seriously though, is she as good as you?" she asked Shirou. "Because if she is, I really want to see what she's capable of."

Shirou just smiled as Rin sighed. "Fine, I'll see if I can do the same for you guys tomorrow. No promises though. Shirou was only able to do this because of his new job from Ozpin."

"Oh, right. You're a Battle Janitor now!" the excited Nora said.

"Nora. That's not a very nice thing to say." Ren scolded her.

"Sorry, Ren-Ren."

"Speaking of which, what _will_ you be doing?" Rin asked. "I'm still not a hundred percent sure what sort of responsibilities Ozpin is placing on you."

"He's placing me on security detail." Shirou replied with a shrug. "I'm going to meet with the head of security today to discuss what the school expects out of me."

"Oh, so you won't be joining us at Forever Fall?" Ruby asked, picking her tooth with a fork, much to Weiss' chagrin. "That's too bad. Forever Fall's a pretty cool place."

"Too bad the forest usually hosts the occasional pack of Grimm." her partner pointed out.

"Pffffft. That's nothing!"

"Forever Fall is outside the city's barriers?" Shirou asked. "I didn't know that. I thought it was inside the city's territory. Going on a fieldtrip to that place sounds dangerous."

"We're training to be huntsmen, we can handle it." Yang said proudly. "And the Grimm there aren't too big. We won't expect anything crazy like Deathstalkers or Nevermores, if that's what you're worried about."

Shirou pursed his lips and glanced at Rin, who only gave him a small shrug.

"How far away is Forever Fall?" he asked.

"Pretty close, I guess." Ruby replied. "You can see the entire forest from the CCT Tower."

Shirou nodded. He's never been to the CCT Tower before, but he's always seen it. The thing was massive, easily over a kilometer tall. If he managed to get to its peak, or on its many balconies, he should be able to get a good view for miles in every direction. He mentally noted that he should pay the tower a visit later.

 **Chapter 5  
Never Fall**

Rin found the walk to Forever Fall a dull, straightforward affair. That is if she wasn't in the company of her eight colorful kohai. The trek into the blood-red forest was rife with conversation, with Ruby leading the group with her surprising knowledge about the place. Their group was accompanied by one other team in the form of CRDL. For her part, Rin paid little mind to the merry band of mischievous boys.

They were still boys however, and no matter how hostile their leader was toward Rin, the rest of the group never failed to spare her the occasional glance. Rin was a student now and she was proud of the fact that she rocked Beacon's uniform.

When Glynda finished explaining what they were here for, apparently to collect some sort of red sap from the trees, the three teams separated into two groups. Team CRDL went on their own to somewhere down east, while RWBY and JNPR stuck together. All except for one.

"Trouble in paradise?" Rin asked, shimmying up beside Pyrrha.

The redhead almost leapt back in surprise. Rin could be surprisingly sneaky if she wanted to.

"Uh, what?"

"Jaune ran off with those CRDL boys. I didn't know they were friends." Rin said, smiling.

"They're not." Pyrrha replied, gripping her empty jar as she made her way toward a nearby tree.

"You know if it's between you guys, I'm not going to pry." Rin said, falling into step behind Pyrrha. "But those kids aren't exactly the nicest people around."

Pyrrha raised her eyebrow. "Should you really be calling us kids when you're only two years older than us?"

Rin shrugged. "Sorry, but aside from you, no one else is what I'd call a paragon of maturity. Except maybe for Blake, but she's all brooding and mysterious."

Rin watched as Pyrrha got on her knees and began extracting the tree sap. The magus frowned when she realized just how large the jars they were given with, and how little sap was coming out of the tree.

"Well that's going to take forever." she mused, walking up to a nearby tree and placing her hand on the surface.

Her magic circuits flared to life, creating a blood-red spell circle on the bark.

" _SURGE AGAINST. FLASH AND FROST."_

A single phrase, spoken in an alien-language to Pyrrha's ears, triggered the spell. Red magical energy bloomed from Rin's palm, washing over neighboring trees. Sap from the nearby trees swirled in the air, floating and twisting like ribbons, falling straight into Rin's upheld jar. The jar was filled to its brim in a matter of seconds. Rin closed the jar's lid with a satisfied grin.

"What was that!? That was cheating!" someone far away shouted, probably Ruby or Yang. Probably both.

"You're… kinda a show off, aren't you?" Pyrrha noted, smirking.

Rin grinned back. "Says the girl with the transforming gladius-rifle-javelin thing." she sat beside Pyrrha, crossing her legs. Unlike Rin, Pyrrha had to patiently wait for the sap to very slowly pour into her jar. "So back to the topic at hand, is Jaune alright? You should know, you're his partner."

Pyrrha slumped her shoulders slightly before she began to speak. "I don't really know. I think he's just worried about things."

"What sort of things?"

Pyrrha had no intention to tell Rin about Jaune forging his records. "I have no clue. Whatever it is, he doesn't want to tell me." that was a lie. "He's just stubborn, that's all."

"Boys tend to be like that at his age." Rin placed her elbow on her knee and her palm on her chin. "Maybe he doesn't tell you his problems because he wants to look cool. Or something. I don't know, I don't really understand how boys think most of the time."

"I guess maybe he wants to prove himself." Pyrrha said without thinking.

"That makes sense. He pretty much sucks."

Pyrrha's head snapped around and she playfully glared at Rin. "That's just mean."

"It's true." Rin shrugged. "His stance is awful, all he does is attack, and he doesn't even use his shield properly half of the time. He's also probably at a disadvantage because his sword doesn't transform into a gun, so he doesn't really have any ranged options."

"I'll be sure to tell him that later."

"Oh, sure go ahead, I don't mind. Despite what I said though, Jaune really does have a lot of potential. He just needs a bit of motivation, eh? Catch my drift?"

"I don't think I like what you're suggesting." Pyrrha leaned away, apprehensive.

Rin laughed, covering her mouth. "Ah, that poor, dense boy. Running after my little Ice Queen, when he has a beautiful Spartan lass right in front of him."

"What's a Spartan?"

"That's not important. Anyway, what I'm saying is, that whatever his problem is, you should be there by his side. CRDL might not be as nasty as I think they are, and he's probably just trying to make friends, but whatever the case, you should be there. He's your partner after all. Figure out what's his problem for me, will you?"

Pyrrha turned her head and refocused her attention on the bark, not really knowing how to respond to Rin's tease-fueled suggestion.

Her chain of thoughts was broken when the sound of three screaming boys echoed through the forest.

Three members of CRDL emerged from a clearing, the spiky-haired one in particular screaming at the top of his lungs. Rin didn't really bother learning any of their names. The spiky-haired kid crashed into Yang, only for the blonde to easily hoist him by his collar.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"Ursa, Ursa!" the boy stammered before releasing himself from Yang's grip and running off.

Rin shared a look with Pyrrha. Wasn't this a school that trained badass sword wielding adventurers or something? Why did those kids just run off like that? Rin mentally shrugged and followed everyone as they rushed deeper into the forest.

Rin recalled what an Ursa was. She and Shirou fought a couple of those giant bear things when they first appeared here on Remnant. They weren't much of a challenge, and in fact she considered the encircling pack of Beowolves the bigger threat at the time. So, either those CRDL boys were total cowards or the Ursa that showed up was particularly massive.

Either way, seven particularly gifted students and one particularly skilled magus were on their way to face the threat. The three fleeing members of CRDL were also likely to end up crashing into Goodwitch at some point. If RWBY and NPR had trouble dealing with the Ursa, the professional huntress could always solve the issue herself.

They arrived at the scene and saw Cardin inches away from getting his head smeared across the grass. Rin noted that the Ursa wasn't particularly large, but that it was standing on its hind legs. Ruby and Yang prepared their weapons, Weiss was already gripping the hilt of Mysternaster, and Rin readied a spell.

But then, in a surprising display of bravery, Jaune placed himself between Cardin and the Ursa. The Ursa lunged at him, and after a bit of hesitation, Jaune raised his shield in defense. The next few moments burned through in a flash. Jaune swung wildly but apparently with enough force to slice into the giant beast. As quickly as it happened, the Ursa fell on the ground, expired.

Rin did not fail to notice the semi-invisible aura that emanated from Pyrrha's hand.

"So I'm guessing that's your Semblance." Rin noted, placing her hand on her hip.

Weiss and Ruby ran toward them, having noticed the display as well.

"That was so cool!" the ever-energetic Ruby Rose said, her hands in the air.

Pyrrha nodded at Rin. "That was my Semblance. Polarity."

"Whoa." Ruby said, mouth half-open in awe. "You can control poles."

"No you dunce, it means she has control over magnetism."

"That's cool too."

Rin smiled at Pyrrha. "Well I figured as much. Are you planning to tell Jaune about what you did?"

"I don't think I need to. He got a boost of confidence from what I did, and it looks like things are going well for him. For now, at least." Pyrrha shrugged slightly, watching as Jaune was now helping Cardin stand up.

"I figured you had a bit of control over metals and stuff. I assumed it was magnetism, and I'm glad that I'm right." Rin said proudly.

"You already knew about this?" Weiss asked. "How?" she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Rin shrugged. "Shirou told me. He said you were trying to manipulate his swords when you sparred. I guess you use your magnetism sparingly, or you use it in a manner that makes it difficult for people to realize that you're using it in the first place."

Pyrrha nodded, slightly uncomfortable. She tried to hide her subtle use of magnetism from Shirou, but apparently the magus was a lot more observant than she assumed. She'd have to be more careful in the future. It was never a good idea to reveal your tricks to people, enemy or not.

"I had… difficulty manipulating Shirou's swords." Pyrrha admitted after a bit of hesitation.

"Understandable." Rin said dismissively. "Those two swords were basically giant magnets."

That was a lie, of course. But it wasn't that far from the truth. Pyrrha was bound to figure out that something was off with Kanshou and Bakuya. Rin might as well throw her off.

Their brief conversation was ended when a terrible sound echoed in the air. It sounded between a roar and a growl, unnatural by every definition of the word. Cardin and Jaune, still far away, turned just in time to see the ground behind them explode, sending dirt and trees and splintered wood several feet in the air.

Emerging from the dirt was a giant, scorpion-like Grimm, easily as large as a couple of double-decker buses. The Deathstalker, with its seemingly unlimited number of eyes, turned to its prey with dangerous intent. The two seventeen-year-olds backed off together slowly, both trying not to make any sudden movements.

"Hey, think you can do that trick with Jaune's sword again?" Rin chided.

Pyrrha turned serious. Her face masked with professional calm, as her short sword transformed into its rifle form. She fired off a series of shots at the Deathstalker. Though the shots failed to do damage, the Deathstalker reacted to her aggression and shifted its interest from the two boys to the eight teenagers a good deal away from it.

"Do Deathstalkers usually show up in Forever Fall?" Rin asked idly, even as everyone else was reading their weapons. "Guys?"

"Get its attention!" Ruby shouted. While normally hyperactive and always immature, the girl immediately fell into a leader's role. "Get it away from Jaune and Cardin!"

Everyone fired at the giant Grimm with their ranged weapons. Bullets, dust particles, and grenade canisters crashed into the Deathstalker's raw hide, doing minimal damage. The giant scorpion charged angrily at the group.

"Fine, everyone ignore me." Rin scoffed, pointing her closed hand at the giant creature. Her family's crest and her magic circuits flared together as she released the lethal variant of a Gandr shot at the charging beast.

The first shot staggered the Deathstalker, searing its skin, but it continued forward. Rin fired consecutively at the monster, joined by the attacks of her companions. They might as well have been throwing stuffed toys at the thing.

The monster made a beeline for Rin, Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss. It struck at the group, its claw moving in a wide arc. Ruby and Weiss sped away to the side as Pyrrha blocked the claw with her shield and considerable strength. Its other claw moved in an instant, swiping at Rin. Magical lines appeared on Rin's legs as she kicked the earth, catapulting her ten meters back in a heartbeat.

Without her jewels, she only had a limited number of spells at her disposal. Limited in the case that most of the spells she could use would either take too long to cast, or would do too much damage to the surrounding area.

Instead, she decided to continue peppering the Grimm with Gandr shots.

The Deathstalker in the meantime had reared back and attacked Pyrrha with its stinger. The champion darted away as the stinger crashed into ground.

Suddenly Weiss was upon it. She threw herself forward with a glyph and drove Mysternaster into the ground, creating a flower of ice around the stinger, freezing the Deathstalker to the ground.

Rin ceased her attacks as Ruby rushed in next along with Blake. The two girls struck at the Deathstalker's claws, dodging and weaving from its counterattacks. Pyrrha followed next, climbing unto a claw as she dodged an attack, before driving her spear into one of the Deathstalker's eyes. The giant creature struggled to move away, but Weiss' ice held.

Weiss moved again, this time leaping on the Deathstalker's head and freezing its upper torso. Before Rin could even wonder what the point was, she saw Yang and Nora leap into the air. Nora's weapon transformed into its hammer form, and with significant force, sent it slamming into the Deathstalker's head. The resulting impact drove the majority of its body into the ground as the ice shattered.

Yang followed soon after, her hair burning bright, as Ember Celica drove itself into the Deathstalker's already broken hide. A ring of fire erupted around Yang and her hapless victim, scorching the forest floor.

Rin was amazed, she admitted. Everyone fell into an organized vibe so quickly, that she felt almost out of place. She jogged to where everyone was. Ren was with Jaune and Cardin, having not participated in the fight against the Deathstalker.

"Is everyone alright?" Ruby asked, hanging the folded form of Crescent Rose to her hip. "Jaune, Cardin, you guys okay?"

"We're fine." Jaune managed, glancing at his bully.

"You guys… thanks." Cardin said, deflating and nearly collapsing on the ground. After witnessing what his friends were capable of, perhaps he'd think twice of messing with Jaune now.

Rin stood with the rest of the group, her eyes silently surveying the forest. With the amount of noise they made, Goodwitch should be well on her way. She closed her eyes. When they opened, her eyes were now glowing an unnatural green.

"What the hell?" Rin said, too loudly.

"What? What?" Ruby asked, her hand to her scythe. The others visibly tensed.

"There's a pack Beowolves heading right for us." she announced. Memorizing the Grimm names was easy enough, since they mostly just resembled either works of folklore or animals back on Earth.

"How many?" Pyrrha asked, shield already up.

Cardin and Jaune, perhaps realizing that Beowolves were easier to deal with than a Deathstalker, readied their own weapons. Cardin hefted a giant mace on his shoulder, and Jaune gripped his sword and shield.

"Around a dozen. Wait, two dozen." Rin said, eyes darting left and right.

The Beowolves were coming like a plague, a pack of giant black dogs that conflicted with the red of the forest. The wolves were approaching in a very rough formation, some crashing into each other as they galloped ahead. An alpha was leading the pack, easily thrice the size of its smaller brethren.

Rin glanced at her companions. Everyone was ready. They'd probably have no real trouble with this many Beowolves. Rin knew that the things were one of the weaker types of Grimm. A single student was more than a match for a handful of these things.

But then the ground shook.

From behind the pack of charging beasts emerged another Deathstalker, then another, and another, and another. The scorpions varied in size, but they all easily towered over the werewolf-like creatures.

"Deathstalkers." Rin announced. "Four of them."

"Four!?" Jaune said, almost in a whimper. Despite his brave display moments ago, he still realized the threat that two dozen Beowolves and four giant Deathstalkers posed. His team and RWBY had trouble dealing with just one of the giant scorpions. But four?

"Guys, looks like we're going to have to retreat." Ruby announced. "We can't handle that many. Rin, how far away are they?"

Rin, briefly impressed with the kid's commanding but adorable tone, narrowed her eyes.

"Around two-hundred meters. The scorpions are falling behind, but the Beowolves are picking up speed." they were probably very hungry.

"Okay," Ruby bit her lip as she started thinking. She thought about the best course of action, particularly factoring in what everyone was capable of, before continuing. "We'll need to find a way to isolate the Deathstalkers. I hate that we're doing this, but we'll probably need to set the forest on fire. That should at least slow the Beowolves down."

She glanced at Weiss and Yang, who nodded in response.

"We'll then moved in a staggered formation and—"

The sound of a loud whistle caught everyone's attention, interrupting Ruby's chain of thoughts. Everyone turned around toward the source of the noise. A single red line streaked through the sky, flying overhead, before inevitably crashing into the area where the Grimm were approaching.

The ensuing explosion sounded like an artillery strike, but unlike anything that Ruby ever heard. Weapon emplacements were common in cities that bordered Grimm territory, but as far as she knew, no defenses in Vale fired into Forever Fall.

Before anyone could get a bead of what was happening, six more red streaks screamed through the air. The second bombarded ripped apart the charging Beowolves, wiping out the twenty-six wolves in an instant.

"Where are those things coming from!?" Yang shouted, running to Ruby's side protectively.

"Looks like the school!" Weiss replied as four more streaks flew overhead.

Each of the streaks had the power to destroy a house. The arrows leading the streaks in particular were laced with magical energy and reinforced to the point of being capable of penetrating thick armor.

The bullets and dust particles that peppered the prior Deathstalker were nothing but small arms fire. These arrows were anti-tank missiles.

The arrows slammed into the Deathstalkers one after another, all hitting center mass. Magical energy rippled from the arrows, demolishing the Grimm's bodies as if they were made of nothing but paper.

Auras protected against the sonic booms that followed. Rin settled for covering her ears, and later protecting her eyes as a gust of wind blew ash and dust toward their group.

"Well." Rin said. "I guess that solves our Grimm problem." she said nervously.

"Is everyone alright?" Ruby asked as soon as the cacophony of noise died down, even though none of the streaks came close to their location.

"I'm fine."

"I'm okay!"

"A-okay."

"My ears are ringing. But I'm not dead."

That snarky one was probably Blake or Weiss.

Rin checked for the Grimm. She smiled, satisfied, when all she saw through her enhanced eyes, was a small desolate field of burned trees and evaporating Grimm.

Goodwitch emerged from the forest a moment later, brandishing her wand.

"Ms. Goodwitch!" Ruby said, running to the teacher.

"Is everyone alright?" the huntress asked, eyes moving over reach student. She noted how Rin's eyes were different, but made no comment on it. She already knew it was reinforcement.

"An Ursa showed up out of nowhere and went straight for Jaune and Cardin!" Ruby said, flailing her arms at the professor.

"The rest of CRDL retreated, but Jaune was able to deal with the Ursa." Weiss explained, a bit more evenly. Realizing that her partner was better at explaining, Ruby stayed quiet as Weiss continued. "A Deathstalker appeared after that, but we dealt with it quickly."

"A Deathstalker?" Glynda asked. "That's unusual."

"Very." Weiss knew that those Grimm preferred to nest in dark caves. Forever Fall was the complete opposite of its usual environment. "Rin was able to detect a pack of approaching Beowolves and four more Deathstalkers,"

"Four more?"

"Yes. Ruby prepared for an escape plan," she glanced at Ruby, who puffed her chest confidently. "But it appears that we didn't have to bother."

"Yes, I've heard and felt the explosions. Though it's strange, considering we don't have any anti-Grimm turret emplacements that covered this part of the city." Glynda turned to the one person who she knew could provide an explanation. "Miss Tohsaka."

"That was Shirou." the magus replied offhandedly.

Teams RWBY and JNPR plus Cardin shared disbelieving looks.

Glynda narrowed her eyes.

"It takes a considerable amount of force to destroy Deathstalkers." she said. "Not to mention we are at least two kilometers away from Beacon. How was mister Emiya able to fire all the way here, much less know that you were all in danger?"

Rin shrugged. "Reinforcement lets us see really, really far away. Shirou's a really impressive archer."

 _But he's still far from his peak._ She noted. _He probably didn't want to risk accidentally hitting us— that's why he didn't help with the first Deathstalker._

Glynda fingered her glasses and nodded. She had to make a report to Ozpin about Emiya's newly discovered capabilities, but aside from that, she had no further questions to ask. She could drill either Tohsaka or Emiya later on the specifics of the latter's attack, but right now, her priority was on the safety of her students.

Ren silently walked through the forest, picking up his classmates' discarded glass jars. In the heat of the moment, everyone dropped their jars to deal with the threats. Most of the jars were half-full, most barely had any sap in them. Rin's was the only one filled to the brim, but that was because of her magecraft. Blake silently joined him in picking up the rest of the jars, followed later by Nora and Yang.

The group left Forever Fall just as the sun was beginning to set.

Ruby was proud of her team and happy that Jaune was safe.

Weiss and Yang were glad that the field trip was over, but their thoughts lingered on the Grimm's unusual presence.

Blake and Ren were in deep thought, wondering about the Deathstalkers' appearance and the surprising power behind Shirou's attacks.

Jaune and Pyrrha walked side-by-side, the latter immensely happy that the former was safe. But the Mystralian also wondered about Shirou's sudden display of power. If he had the power to annihilate Deathstalkers, how much was he holding back in his spar with Pyrrha? Could he only use those attacks from a faraway distance, or did he really not excel in melee?

Cardin narrowed his eyes at his teammates, but there was no malice in his gaze. Despite his otherwise controversial attitude, the boy was a leader at heart, and a part of him understood his teammates' actions. He was just glad that he survived. And he found himself developing a newfound respect for his classmates, especially for Jaune.

Nora wondered briefly about the afternoon's events. Grimm were the physical embodiment of darkness, but they were also animals at heart. Animals had behaviors and instincts they subscribed to. An outside force must have driven the Deathstalkers from their homes. But most of all, Nora wondered whether or not the stuffed Deathstalkers sold in stores should be a great deal larger.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Anyway, sorta late update. But stuff came up, so yeah. At least the chapter's decently long though, _and_ stuff actually happened.

As opposed to common belief, I actually do reply to most reviews. Just privately. I guess for the sake of organization, I'll be doing the replying at the end of each chapter from now on. Uh, not on this chapter though. I've already replied to the reviews I felt needed replying to.

I appreciate every sort of feedback, here and on SpaceBattles, but I can't promise that I'll be able to reply to every comment. Some questions are hard to answer without giving away too much of my future plans, other questions have already been answered, etc.

Anyway thank you all for enjoying the story in its current state. Woo.

Anyway, here are some FAQs.

 **Will Shirou and Rin develop Auras and Semblances? Will RWBY/JNPR learn magecraft?**

No and no.

Sorry, but I've always preferred crossover fics where parties maintain their own powers and abilities, instead of somehow adapting to powers associated in their new environment. Master Chief adopting Mass Effect technology is cool as all hell, for example, but I feel like that approach only works for sci-fi, where the characters are expected to adopt to new tech and threats. For a fantasy-esque setting like this fic, I'd rather have magi and huntsmen stick to using their own powers.

In Fate, not every human can be a mage. And in RWBY not everyone has the skill with Aura and ability to be a huntsman. So yeah.

 **Why didn't Shirou use X Noble Phantasm against Pyrrha and why did he lose handedly?**

Dude was really holding back. Pyrrha was also holding back. Also neither party really wanted to kill each other/destroy the classroom. They were roommates. Accidental murders could be awkward in the JNPR dorm room.

' **He could not rely on those weapons forever?'**

That statement did not mean that Shirou no longer wanted to be a faker. Instead, he realized that he simply needed to develop his skills in other areas aside from projection. Archer developed his own style as an adult, and Shirou, in a way, has to as well. Shirou still doesn't care that he's a faker. Probably could have phrased the scene better, but whatever.

 **How strong is Shirou compared to Rin?**

Shirou is better at generally murdering things. Rin is the better duelist and is the better at 'technical' fighting, because of her more extensive knowledge of Magecraft. In a hand-to-hand spar, Rin would win. With KnB, it could go either way. With Noble Phantasms and spells, it could go either way. If bloodlusted, Shirou would win.

 **How much stronger are they compared to their state in UBW? Compared to RWBY?**

Three years have passed. They are a great deal stronger than their younger selves. Rin has more spells and better control over her magecraft. Shirou's good, but not up to Archer's level. Both are Faster than Eyesight, slightly faster than Ruby, significantly faster than Weiss with glyphs and significantly faster than everyone else. Both are stronger when reinforced than the Beacon students, but professional huntsmen can match them on pure physicals. (Based on Qrow and Winter.)

They're not Servant level. In fact, if a Servant were to somehow appear in this fic, it would probably be an unstoppable force that maybe only Ozpin could stand up to.

 **What do you mean by Shirou and Rin sharing mana?**

They still have that contract going on from UBW. So Shirou still occasionally draws from Rin's reserves. They maintain this contract through Unlimited Sex Works. They continue this ritual even on Beacon. Stealthily.


	7. A Song of Dust and Fire

Beacon's administrative offices were in the campus' south-eastern wing. The building housing the offices was eight stories tall, its outside walls a gunmetal grey. The building also housed the school's armory, gym, and workshops. Shirou and Rin made their way inside, the latter not really knowing what to expect.

Beacon trained its students to fight giant monsters. It was easy to assume that its security personnel were as powerful as the students they were assigned to protect. However, skilled Aura users were simply too rare for that to be the case.

Beacon's security was mainly composed of trained combat personnel, most of which didn't even have their Auras unlocked. While Beacon's students were armed with unique, personalized weapons that fit each student's fighting style, the school's security used standardized firearms. Instead of relying on Aura for protection, Beacon's staff relied on modern body armor. Instead of relying on individual skill and teamwork, they relied on numbers, tactics, and discipline.

"I wonder what you'd look like in one of those uniforms." Rin idly noted as the two descended a flight of steps.

"That body armor looks too bulky. My movements might get too restricted."

"That's not the point I'm trying to make, Shirou." Rin teased, eyes running over Shirou's torso.

The magus raised his eyebrow. "Right." he turned away, at least after he not-so-subtly glanced at Rin's legs. _That uniform really suits her._

The pair soon arrived in Beacon's workshop. The large room was filled with everything that a student needed to maintain his or her weapons. From laser cutters, to lathes, to machines that produced different types of ammunition. Machines that dispensed various types of Dust lined a wall, along with canister and shell dispensers, workbenches, and a variety of other tools.

"Ah…" Rin said slowly, eyeing an unattended rifle on a nearby table. "…a gun. How quaint. I bet it transforms into a halberd or something."

"That's used by the guys at security." Shirou explained. "It doesn't transform into anything."

"Oh nice. Something practical for once."

Most of Beacon's students built their own weapons. Despite preferring the company of simple but elegant blades, Beacon's unique weapon designs still somewhat appealed to Shirou Emiya.

A transforming scythe-slash-sniper-rifle was still an engineering masterpiece, regardless of one's opinion on the practicality of its design. Weiss' Mysternaster was a simpler weapon, but it was still elegantly made. Blake's Gambol Shroud lacked the elegance of others, but it still functioned as intended. And Yang's shotgun gauntlets were, in Shirou's own words, 'insane-but-still-pretty-awesome.'

Of course, none of these weapons would work back on earth. At least, if they weren't wielded by Aura users. Shirou soon realized why only huntsmen and huntresses relied on custom-built weapons. Huntsmen used their Aura to stabilize their implements of death, in and out of combat. Aura lessened the need for maintenance and repair, acting as a sort of indirect Reinforcement to a weapon's internal mechanisms. Without Aura, Ruby's scythe-rifle, Blake's sword-katana, and Yang's shotgun-gauntlets would jam non-stop. Weiss' rapier would probably fair better, however, because it didn't have as many moving parts.

Rin followed Shirou's lead, until he eventually stopped before a pair of middle-aged men. The two adults were huddled around what appeared to be another rifle. After some time, the younger of the two noticed that they had guests.

"Ah, Emiya. What brings you down here?" Isaac Noble, a thirty-four year old with graying hair asked, wiping his hand of grease. He glanced at Rin and offered a friendly smile. "And who's the lady?"

"Rin Tohsaka," the heiress replied. "Nice to meet you."

"Ah, the girlfriend." Noble said with a nod. "The pleasure's all mine." he turned to his companion and frowned. "Hey Swan, show some respect will you? Emiya's girl's here."

A stout, but muscular man took a break from fiddling with the rifle's stock and walked toward his companion. Unlike his younger colleague, who was handsome in a rugged sort of way, Swan was a significantly older gentleman with a balding head and a scar that ran from his left eyebrow to his right cheek. Despite the loss of hair, the man still managed to sport a surprisingly impressive mustache.

"Heard about you, little lady. You're the one with the laser hands, eh?" he asked in a baritone voice.

Rin frowned. "You would be correct." she frowned deeper. "You heard that phrase from Ruby, didn't you?"

Swan nodded. "Cute kid. Despite her scythe-rifle thing being a logistical and maintenance nightmare."

"So what exactly do you guys do?" Rin asked conversationally.

"We're the chief weapons engineers around here. Mainly deal with designing guns for security and common Joes." Noble said simply. "As you may have noticed, conventional firearms aren't really that effective against Grimm. The problem is, weapons that _are_ effective against Grimm are unwieldy for non-Aura users like myself."

"We're always trying to find a good balance between 'strong enough to bust a Beowulf's head open' and 'weak enough not to dislocate some poor kid's shoulder.'"

"Ahhh." Rin replied, before smiling.

She didn't really have any comments on the matter. She realized the importance of designing powerful weapons, especially in a world where monsters were actively trying to wipe out humanity. But her actual knowledge on modern firearms was limited at best. Her knowledge on transforming firearms was even less.

"Well, 'twas nice meeting you, miss. But I really got to get back to work." Swan said, making his way back to the rifle he was working on.

"Sorry, we got a bit sidetracked." Noble apologized, facing Rin. "What can I help you with?"

Rin straightened her back. "The headmaster said I could grab some Dust crystals from here, but that I had to run things through with you guys first."

"Ahh, right, right." Noble turned around and walked toward the Dust dispensers. Shirou and Rin followed. "These are our main Dust dispensers, for students at least. The faculty and staff have their own. If you need Fire Dust for bullets, Ice Dust for grenades, or Lightning Dust for flash bangs, this is the place to go. Just swipe your Scroll on the sensor beside a dispenser, and you're good. No paperwork necessary."

"I don't really use bullets for anything." Rin said. "Does this only dispense Dust grains? Where can I get the crystallized version?"

"Ahh. Well those actually cost money." Noble said. "We outsource our crystal Dust reserves because not a lot of students use them on their weapons. Grains are just overall better for ammo. We have three partners that provide us with crystals; Schnee, Ravencroft, and Knightstein. You'll have to choose where you'll purchase from depending on what you actually want to do."

"What do you mean?" Rin asked.

Noble started walking toward the opposite end of the workshop and the two followed.

"Schnee's the biggest company around. They're the generic drug provider of the Dust world. Ravencroft's all about experimental stuff. Their crystals are very top of the line. You can even get a discount if you can convince them that you're doing things for research. But otherwise, their crystals are very expensive. Knightstein only deals with big, bulk orders. Like a hundred crystals at once, sort of thing. But of course they sell at a discount."

"That's… I see." Rin said, not able to hide the disappointment in her voice. "I don't have any money yet, and I don't think Shirou's going to get paid until the fifteenth…"

"Why don't you just ask for samples from the chemistry labs?" Noble suggested. "You're a student, aren't you? Asking Professor Peach for a couple of samples to play with shouldn't be too hard."

"I considered that, but the crystals in the labs are designed for civilian use. Batteries and whatnot." Rin sighed and later shrugged. "You know what, forget it. I'll just use those for now."

Noble nodded, glancing at Shirou. "Well if there's anything else, I should probably get back to work now."

Shirou nodded in return. The pair watched as Noble strode back to Swan. They spent a few minutes exploring the workshop before eventually heading out.

[—

"This looks really dangerous." Ruby said, standing with Yang and the rest of her teammates.

They were in the school park, gathered around a stone table. Resting on the table was a Dust crystal no larger than a marble. Sitting in front of it was Rin, her sleeve rolled up and her hand pointing forward. A spell circle was drawn on the surface of the table with chalk, the crystal at its center.

"Should you really be starting with Fire Dust?" Yang asked. She used the same substance for Ember Celica, and knew how dangerous it was. "You could always start with something less… oh I don't know, explosive?"

"Hmm. Yeah, but that wouldn't be any fun." Rin said. "Risks need to be taken for maximum result! Without risk, science and magecraft cannot move forward!"

She said enthusiastically as she began pouring magical energy from her fingertips into the Dust crystal. The four girls surrounding her took cautious steps back.

"Rin…" Ruby asked. "…are you sure about this? We could just ask Weiss for another demo—"

"No, no, I got this!" the older magus said, smiling. She could already feel the Dust reacting to her prana.

If the people of Remnant activated Dust through Aura, then she'd have no trouble achieving the same effect with Od. Slowly but surely, her spiritual energy seeped into the blood-red crystal. The crystal began to glow in response, the imperfections burning like fissures. Rin smiled in anticipation as she increased the amount of energy she released.

The objective of the exercise was simple: to test how Dust reacted to prana instead of Aura. It was a delicate procedure. She would have to stop short before the Dust exploded in her face.

Then, with a loud bang, the Dust exploded in her face.

 **Chapter 6  
A Song of Dust and Fire**

"Rin noooo!" Ruby pleaded to the skies as she caught Rin's smoking form.

Across the park, JNPR's own leader glanced at Shirou. "Uh, don't you want to check on her?"

Shirou shrugged, his eyes not leaving the magazine in his hand. Today was a weekend, and the amateur magus decided that he would spend the day relaxing.

"She'll be fine." he replied. "This Vytal Festival sounds exciting. What's this about a tournament? Are you guys participating?"

Jaune answered with a shrug. "The tournament is a great place to hone our skills, as individuals and as a team. Joining is pretty much mandatory these days." he turned to Pyrrha and smiled. "Lucky for us, we got Pyrrha on our side."

The redhead blushed at the indirect compliment, burying herself in her book.

Shirou stared at the magazine, tilting his head. "The tournament ends in one-versus-ones, but to get in you need a four-man team. That's… disappointing."

"Aww, you want to join, don't you?" Nora asked, for some reason balancing a book on her head.

"If you want we can help you and Rin find a team." Jaune suggested. "You only need two more people, anyway. But… I'm not sure if you'll be allowed to join since you're technically a part of the school staff."

"We'll figure something out, Jaune." Nora assured. "I really, really want to Shirou in the tournament because—"

"Explosions." Ren finished for her, his voice flat. "She wants to see more explosions."

Nora stood up, her hands in the air. "Who doesn't want to see more explosions, Ren-Ren? Did you _see_ what Shirou did to those Grimm! He was like, _pew-pew_ , and those Grimm were like 'noooo fire and death glashdahsdahlsldhlksl—'" Nora emphasized her words by pretending to burn, and eventually collapsing on top of Ren.

"Eh, we'll figure something out." Jaune repeated with a shrug. He didn't want to openly admit it, but he shared Nora's opinion.

[—

The conference room housed six professional huntsmen and huntresses. Heading the table was Professor Ozpin, his chin resting on his entwined fingers. To his right, Glynda Goodwitch used her scroll to manipulate the holographic display that was being projected into the center of the room. Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck sat together with the pink-haired Professor Peach. Geneva Crux, the head of security, sat opposite of them.

The hologram displayed a three-dimensional map of Beacon and the surrounding area. A tall white tower symbolized the CCT tower, and from it an arrow curved outward toward the opposite end of the display.

"…this puts, in theory, Mister Emiya's operational range at a little over two-kilometers." Glynda said. She normally did not use more military terms in her everyday life, but today was an exception. "That is assuming that he demonstrated his maximum range in the first place. For all we know, he could be capable of twice or thrice that distance."

"It's also worth noting that we're still not sure if he acted to assist teams RWBY and JNPR," Peach said, in her high-pitched voice. "Or if he only acted out to protect Miss Tohsaka."

"Regardless of his intention, at the end of the day, he still valiantly protected our students." Port commented. "And for that he has won my respect."

"Still two kilometers that's quite the exceptional range." Oobleck said in his signature rapid-fire voice. "Reminds me of Tepid Nabul an old classmate of mine who also specialized in ranged warfare." he gasped for air before continuing. "But even he could only fire a kilometer away nor did he use ammunition powerful enough to destroy Deathstalkers."

"We ran Emiya through the obstacle course yesterday." Geneva reported, reading from her scroll. "Once with his powers activated and once without. Surprisingly, even without his… Reinforcement…? activated, he still managed to finish the course in above average time."

"That's a surprise." Glynda pointed out.

"Not exactly." Geneva shrugged. She was only a few years older than Glynda, with dark hair and a stern expression always drawn on her face. "He apparently follows a strict exercise routine every morning. Push-ups, sit-ups, the works. His partner does the same, but seems to prefer cardio. She often jogs when she has the time, but does so in the afternoon or on weekends. Her hosts, Belladonna and Xiao Long jog in the morning, but she was only able to join them once. Probably isn't a morning person."

Geneva swiped down on her scroll and continued.

"Croft gave him a tour of our facilities yesterday, introduced him to some of the faculty and most of the personnel. He was personable enough. Acted in a way you'd expect a new employee to act. After the tour, I told him that he wasn't really an official part of the security team, that he was more of a complementary force that would only be called in emergencies or special occasions. He is to report to the biometrics every morning, but is otherwise allowed to do whatever he wants, so long as he stays in-campus."

"That explains what he was doing in the CCT tower." Peach noted, examining her manicured hand.

Geneva nodded. "Yes. He spent most of yesterday afternoon there, on the rooftop, surveying the landscape."

"Continue monitoring our guests." Ozpin said, speaking for the first time in minutes. He had been silently digesting everyone's reports, his mind working out options, considerations, and possibilities for the future. "Our current attention should be focused on the unusual Grimm activity in Forever Fall. Crux?"

The huntress pressed a button on the table, changing the holographic display before them from a three-dimensional map into a two-dimensional one. Stats, graphs, and other variable data appeared beside the display.

"Port went into the area with a handful of scouts. We swept the entire forest clean, and found the Grimm population relatively… normal."

Professor Port cleared his throat before speaking. "We found roaming packs of Beowolves and the occasional family of Ursa, but beyond that, nothing out of the ordinary. No traces of larger species such as Deathstalkers or Nevermores were found. A shame. I was quite looking forward to facing the foul creatu—"

"—one of our Bullheads encountered a flock of medium-sized Nevermore," Crux interrupted. "Luckily, no engagement happened. Our pilots reported that they looked like they were migrating, most likely came south from Valley Cliffs, or south-west from Lake Basin."

Ozpin nodded slightly.

"Very well. Continue monitoring Forever Fall and the outlying areas. Send drones and place sensor markers a few clicks further out than usual, if possible."

Crux extended her scroll and began noting down the headmaster's command almost immediately.

"With the Vytal festival coming up, we'll want to prepare for every possibility." Ozpin deactivated his own scroll with a swipe and placed it in his pocket, standing up. "Otherwise, that is all. I thank you all for your hard work."

One by one, the huntsmen filed out of the conference room, until eventually only Ozpin and Goodwitch remained. After grabbing her things, the blonde headmaster followed her old friend and colleague out. To her mild surprise, instead of heading to his office as he normally does, he instead pressed a unique sequence of buttons on his private elevator, sending the machine down instead of up.

They emerged deep underground, in a barely-lit hallway that seemed to go on forever. At the end of this hallway were two capsules. One occupied and equipped with life support systems, the other an empty metal shell. The two capsules were connected, between them a computer that monitored the vital signs and Aura levels of the first capsule's occupant.

"How is she doing?" Glynda asked softly.

"Her condition is stable." Ozpin replied. "But she is at the cusp of passing away."

"We'll need to find a good candidate soon." Glynda's voice was still low.

Staring into the occupied capsule, a wave of sadness washed over Glynda Goodwitch. She knew what needed to be done. She knew about the risky procedure. She was prepared to risk her life, but as circumstance would have it, it was simply impossible. Before her, within that capsule of metal and wires, was one of the four Maidens— a myth, a legend in human form. Maidens were beings of incredible power. But unlike her sisters, the Maiden inside was weak. Placed in a medically-induced coma, the Maiden was not even aware of her situation.

They needed a vessel to inherit her power. And as powerful of a huntress Glynda Goodwitch was, she failed to meet two specific requirements: maidenhood and youth. And so she was left with the humbler responsibility of watching and protecting the Maiden from harm.

"Who were the last candidates you mentioned?" she asked Ozpin. "Rose, Nikos? When are you planning on introducing them to—"

"In due time, Glynda." Ozpin said, adjusting his glasses.

After a brief pause, Glynda asked.

"What about Tohsaka?"

"It's too risky." he replied. "Tohsaka has no Aura to speak of. Not to mention that she probably doesn't fit the requirement of being a maiden."

Glynda blushed slightly, pursing her lips. Ozpin could really be so blunt sometimes.

"Still. I am considering introducing her to Amber, nonetheless." he turned to Glynda, the sleeping Maiden and the machines keeping her alive behind him. "Magecraft and magic. Two concepts unfamiliar to our world."

"Magecraft doesn't sound too alien to me." Glynda pointed out. "From what I've seen, magecraft is similar to feats that you and I perform all the time. Reinforcement of objects is similar to applying Aura to a weapon or tool. Barring the blue or green lines, limb-reinforcement is similar to applying Aura to body parts."

"And what of Emiya's conjured blades?"

"Well that's—"

"And what of Tohsaka's feat back at Forever Fall, with the jars of sap?"

"Rose and Xiao Long did mention that happening, but—"

"Or Emiya's bombardment from two-thousand meters away?"

Glynda sighed, pushing back her own glasses with her middle finger. "Okay. You've made your point, Ozpin."

The headmaster managed a smile before continuing.

"A Maiden's power is more akin to magecraft than our own. Maiden's are not as limited with resources than we are. And their feats are magnitudes more impressive." he ran a hand across the glass of the occupied capsule. "Perhaps it's time we asked an outsider's opinion."

[—

HE WAS NOBODY.

IT WAS NOBODY.

NOT EVEN A MAN. NOT EVEN A CREATURE. BUT A DEMON CURSED.

LOSING HIS ARMS AND LEGS. HIS TONGUE AND FINGERS AND TOES. THE WORLD CURSED HIM. BLAMED HIM FOR ALL THE TERRORS OF THE WORLD, FOR ALL THE DARKNESS OF MANKIND.

CORRUPTION.

MADNESS.

DESPAIR.

VENGEANCE.

AN OVERWHELMING DARKNESS CAME UPON HIM.

THE WORLD CHANGED AROUND HIM. BUT HE REMAINED THE SAME. AN IDOL OF A BROKEN WORLD, OF A BROKEN TIME.

THE SINS OF THE WORLD ON HIS SHOULDERS.

A RITUAL CORRUPTED.

A GOLDEN KING TRIED TO RELEASE HIM FROM THE BINDS OF HIS PRISON.

Yet another king cleansed him with light.

HE WAS ERASED FROM THE WORLD.

BUT HIS HATRED TOO POWERFUL.

OVERPOWERING.

INSTEAD OF DESTRUCTION.

HE FOUND ANOTHER WORLD.

A PEACEFUL WORLD.

A MERE VESSEL HE WAS. NOMADS FOUND HIM. TOOK HIM HOME.

Corrupting them was easy. THE PROMISE OF WISHES. WORSHIP FOLLOWED. SACRIFICE FOLLOWED. SONS TO FATHERS. DAUGHTERS TO MOTHERS.

AS HIS OLD WORLD ONCE CURSED HIM. HE CURSED HIS NEW WORLD IN RETURN.

CREATURES BORN FROM HATE SPEWED FROM HIS BEING. LIKE A VIRULENT PLAGUE. CONSUMING ALL THAT WAS GOOD AND ALL THAT WAS PURE.

FROM HIS BEING WAS DARKNESS BORN.

MADE MANIFEST IN A FORM THAT MOCKS NATURE.

* * *

This chapter is sponsored by Plot™ and InfoDumps™.

I didn't really want to introduce any OCs into this fic, but eventually realized that I had to. Ah well. None of our OCs will be major characters and they're really only there to fill in the occasional gap. Also I've decided to include Professor Peach into the story, even though she has yet to appear in the series proper (or if she'll ever show up in the first place.)

With that said, here's an overly long description of the OCs thus far.

 **Name:** Isaac Noble  
 **Age:** 34  
 **Description:** Smarty pants cool old dude. Weapons' engineer and combat school dropout.

 **Name:** Swan  
 **Age:** 49  
 **Description:** Dude who only goes by one name because he's chill like that. Weapons engineer and whacky inventor. Highly respects Jaune Arc for his old school, but functional weapons.

 **Name:** Geneva Crux  
 **Age: 32  
Description: **Professional huntress. Military brat. Former soldier lady. Originally worked for the Atlas Military before finding herself in Ozpin's crew. Uses a pair of transforming katarr. Not a part of Ozpin's secret club.

Also a clarification: Base Ruby is slower than Shirou and Rin with Reinforcement. But Ruby spamming her semblance is faster.

* * *

Anyway on to the review replies and whatnot.

 **Guest:** Yes, Shirou is more or less copying Archer's technique.

 **SeigZeon:** Thanks. I'll try to throw in a few more ShirouxRin stuff for everyone's viewing pleasure.

 **Guest:** Yes, I'm aware that Shirou is capable of all of those stuff.

 **thenotes146:** Shirou goes to the Shirou Emiya School of showing off.

 **Dark demon619:** Thanks for the enthusiastic review, man.

 **Arngeirr:** I agree. I wanted to showcase Shirou's ahem, potential for explosions.

 **Phuxeds:** More or less, yeah.

 **Scorpioneldar:** Yeah man, Volume 3 was dark.

 **Guest:** I don't think I'll ever clarify what sort of arrows/swords Shirou used during the bombardment. Just because I like reading about you guys coming up with your own theories and ideas. Don't forget that since this is based off of UBW, Shirou basically witnessed the majority of Gate of Babylon's contents in his fight with Gilgamesh.

 **Im a guest:** Caladbolg II would have been too powerful, brah.

 **Rydan Fall:** All good points. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Shirou can trace firearms and other modern weapons if he wanted. He just doesn't do it because of the significantly increased mana cost. For the purpose of this fic, he'll be able to trace RWBY's sword-based weapons, with just a slight increase in mana cost. It's probably not the most canon thing ever, but we're going to do this for The Rule of Cool. As for Rin, yeah she'll be learning how to use Dust to complement her skills. She's already pretty nerfed because she forgot her jewels at home.

 **Mazoku Tora'inu:** You know, I'm just going to be honest and admit that I have no idea exactly what type of sword Pyrrha uses. I don't remember my exact source (either the Wiki or TvTropes), but whatever it was, it addressed the sword as a gladius. To be to be fair, calling the sword a gladius could be slightly attributed to Rin making a small mistake. So yeah, it's Rin's fault, not mine. P:

 **YuukiAsuna-Chan:** Rule Breaker and Gae Daerg. Ah. One does wonder how those two would interact with Aura and Grimm.

 **Noitaerc:** That's a cute idea for an omake. I'm actually debating whether or not I want to start a satellite fic that focuses on the slice of life aspects of Shirou and Rin at Beacon. Kinda like Emergence's Asides, which is a fic I've been engrossing myself in recently.

 **Server lock:** The power of love! Jk. It was briefly explained in this chapter.

 **Guest:** Lancelot Berserker v Ruby Rose in the custody of Crescent Rose, go!

 **cameronsweet5:** Should have clarified things better, but Rin and Shirou will still be adapting to how Remnant people do things. It's just that they won't gain Aura or develop Semblances.

 **Treant Balewood:** That was my mistake. I was talking about Base Ruby in that note. I'm treating Semblance Ruby as being faster and more maneuverable in short distances, while Reinforcement is better for running long distance. I'm also still not sure if Ruby's Semblance is purely based on speed or vectors as well, based on a few scenes from Volume 3.

 **Captaindickscratcher:** I'm actually still debating if I want to give Rin a weapon. As for blending in, she doesn't really need to do that because Goodwitch already introduced her to the student population as an outsider with a unique skillset. If I ever ended up giving her weapon, it'd probably something like a staff, wand, or quarterstaff. But we'll see.

As always. Thanks for the reviews and I'm glad that everyone is enjoying this.


	8. The Measure of a Magus

The memory was still fresh, even after all these years.

A black sky and a black world, consumed by fire. The smell of burnt flesh pervaded his nose, and the sound of the dying invaded his ears. The fire came like a tsunami, consuming everything in its wake. People died in the flames. People died trying to rescue their loved ones. In this ash-filled wilderness, a lone boy walked, ignoring the pleas of help from those around him. He walked, until his eyes and his legs gave way.

In that moment, the boy surrendered himself to his fate.

 **Chapter 7  
The Measure of a Magus**

"Rin, this is wrong! So wrong! And dangerous!" Ruby Rose said, her small hands waving in the air.

"Relax, I know what I'm doing." Rin said with a smile, her arms crossed over her chest.

"The last time you said that, a Dust crystal exploded in your face." Weiss pointed out, sitting on a chair on the opposite end of the room.

Five girls were currently gathered in one of Beacon's many chemistry laboratories. Two of the girls, the oldest and the youngest respectively, were dressed in white lab coats. The others were dressed in their school uniforms. Said others were also a significant distant away from the former two.

The blue-eyed magus raised a Dust crystal to the room's fluorescent light. The crystal was significantly larger than the earlier crystals she experimented with. These crystals however were of a higher quality than the lab samples she normally uses. These crystals were considered to be ten times more powerful than their smaller counterparts, and were specifically used in and as ammunition.

"Rin! Seriously!" Ruby, who has taken the role of her unofficial chaperone in Beacon, said with another wave of her hand. "At least consider using Wind Dust instead."

"Wind?" Rin thought for a moment, glancing at the red crystal between her fingers. "Wind… are those the green ones? I was only able to get samples of Red Dust, but I'll think about using greens in the future—"

"Riiiin." Ruby whined.

The magus sighed and lowered the Dust crystal. She approached Ruby and smiled, placing a hand on the younger girl's head.

"Trust me, Ruby. I know what I'm doing."

She let go of the pouting girl and approached an empty table. Placing the Dust into the center of the table, in the middle of a hand-drawn spell circle, she closed her eyes and began.

Channeling magical energy into the crystal was a simple affair for a magus of Rin Tohsaka's caliber. Manipulating the strange mineral was different from manipulating jewels, but the basics were similar enough. In a matter of one week, she was able, through much trial, error, and explosions, learn the very basics of activating Dust. Though she focused mainly on one element due to limited resources, she has at least been able to successfully activate and more importantly stabilize Dust crystals.

Now, she was attempting something a bit more advanced.

The crystal began to glow and her assistant-slash-team-leader took a cautious step back beside her. Magical energy poured from her internal reserves into the alien rock, causing it to burn the color of vermillion. The crystal began to pulsate and glow and everyone in the room, save for Yang, noticed an increase in temperature.

Just when Ruby expected another disaster to happen, the crystal's glow began to fade. Rin performed the final steps of her experiment, the magical energy she poured into the mineral weakening, trickling down like a faucet slowly being closed.

With a loud, sigh, she released her hand from its position above the crystal and stepped back.

"I did it." she announced.

"What exactly did you do?" Ruby asked cautiously.

"I have successfully made a magecraft-fueled Dust grenade." Rin beamed. "At least I think I did. It's set to explode in ten minutes, maybe more, maybe less. But the point is, it didn't explode right away. Speaking of which, how do we get to the firing range?"

Everyone else in the room immediately raised their Aura.

[—

Shirou sat under the shade of the Meryrose Tree, his arms behind his head. In the distance, his unofficial teammates were in the middle of a two-versus-two spar, with Ren and Pyrrha facing off against Jaune and Nora. The magus figured that it would have been a much better format if it was a three-versus-one instead— Pyrrha was easily superior to the rest of her teammates— but decided not to mention it.

A shadow fell on him just as he was enjoying the afternoon breeze. Turning to the shadow, he saw Rin standing with a vase in her hand.

"My gradation air just evaporated." she said, sitting down to Shirou's left. "Yours is still as solid as ever, but mine lasted a good two days. Way longer than it normally would have back home."

She placed the vase on the grass and poked it with a finger.

"How are your other projections doing?"

"They're still back in the dorm room."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

Rin placed a finger to her chin and closed her eyes. "That's… impressive. Even the first ones you traced? How long ago did you trace them?"

"We've been here for three weeks… so, yeah. Three weeks."

"That's insane, even for you."

"What can you draw from this, then?" Shirou said, reaching forward and picking up his projected vase.

"Well, this basically just confirms one of my theories, even though I've basically already confirmed it before." she leaned on the same tree, crossing her legs. "Our magecraft is stronger here, by a pretty significant margin. Maybe three or four times stronger. But it's stronger not in a numerical sense, but more in an 'effectiveness' sense."

Shirou nodded, not saying anything. He knew that Rin was about to explain her thoughts to him.

"At the very least, this confirms that this world has a Gaia equivalent. Something that attempts to counteract the magecraft we perform. But seeing that, hopefully, we are the only practitioners of magecraft on this planet, the miracles that we create are a great deal more effective than they otherwise would be.

"I did a bit of reading, and while there isn't a solid number anywhere, theories place the combined population of this world at around two-hundred-million."

"That's much smaller than Earth's." Shirou pointed out.

Rin nodded. "Yep. Just a bit smaller than America's population, I think. Anyway, ten-percent of that is composed of people who are good enough to pass basic combat schools, like Signal. Of course, only ten percent of that is maybe good enough to actually graduate into professional huntsmen, but that's beyond the point. That's still twenty-million people capable of using their Auras efficiently. We can also guess that a similar, but smaller number to that can use their Semblances effectively.

"Yet despite these impressive numbers, our magecraft still functions at peak performance, or rather, into overdrive. Based on this, we can assume that this world's Will doesn't consider Auras, Semblances, and other native abilities as foreign concepts that need to be eliminated or controlled."

The pair spent a few moments in quiet contemplation. In the distance, the sound of clashing blades and training bullets buffering against Jaune's aura filled the air.

"What exactly did you mean by our magecraft being more effective here?" Shirou asked.

Rin considered her answer before speaking. "Well, basically, any magecraft we do is just better, in some ways, at least. In theory, projections should last longer, and alchemy should be more potent."

"That explains why your Gandr is so strong." Shirou pointed out.

"I haven't really considered that." Rin smiled. "Finn Shots are already considered powerful, but I was surprised that one of my Finn Shots was strong enough to tear through a Boarbatusk's armor. Apparently those things are one of the tougher types of smaller Grimm. In theory, the same should apply to your broken phantasms, though I'm not sure if we should be testing that anytime soon."

"But I'm surprised. I don't feel my spells costing more prana than usual." Shirou said.

"Probably just an aftereffect of our contract." Rin considered. "That also explains why we haven't noticed these things sooner." she reached into her pocket and produced a couple of Dust crystals. "Also, take a look at this."

"Those aren't going to explode any time soon, are they?"

"No, of course not." Rin said, a bit too defensively. "I'm showing you this, because these are the first crystals that I've been able to activate. This green one corresponds to air, the two red ones are fire, and the blue one responds to water. These are, at least, the basic types of Dust. Other types are formed by combining these four."

Shirou picked up the curved green crystal and examined it. "What happened when you activated them?"

"I've been mainly focusing on the red ones. This green and blue crystals are the last ones I have. The green crystal released a small gust of wind, the red crystal released a small gout of fire, and the blue crystal accidentally sprayed Weiss with water."

"Accidentally?"

"Accidentally." Rin cleared her throat. "It took a bit of practice, but the process is surprisingly similar to reinforcement. We can't just haphazardly juice these things up with prana. A bit of actual spellwork is necessary." she smiled and returned the crystals into her pocket. "While I'm still unable to come up with more creative ways of using these, I'm definitely going to continue experimenting. In a week's time, I should be able to use Dust crystals as substitutes to my gems."

"Jewelry still exists in this world, Rin." Shirou pointed out. "If you want, we can go buy some the next time—"

"Nah, let's not bother, at least for now." she shook her head. "High quality gems are as expensive here as they are back home. We're better off spending your salary on more practical things. Low quality gems wouldn't be that much of a step up compared to Dust crystals."

Shirou realized something, in the distance Nora flew into the air from one of Pyrrha's attacks.

"How are you planning to use these crystals? By throwing them at people?"

"Well, that's how I normally do them, so yeah." Rin narrowed her eyes. "You're thinking I should use something like a weapon, aren't you?"

Shirou shrugged.

"Weiss uses a lot of Dust in combat, but Myrtenaster uses powdered dust, not crystalline. Save for that one kid on CRDL, everyone else uses Dust mainly for ammunition. Though I'm pretty sure there other caster-type people in higher years. I think I'll stick with my old style, for now." she grinned. "At the very least, I can still make these things explode."

"Have you tried infusing spells into them yet?" Shirou asked.

"Oh no, no, not yet. Well I did. But they uh, exploded. So we're not trying that anytime soon."

Shirou considered, nodding his head. He opened his mouth to talk, when he heard JNPR approaching, having finished their team-oriented spar. Pyrrha and Nora waved at the duo as they approached, with a silent Ren and a battered Jaune following close behind.

"Anyway, I think that's all we need to talk about for now." Rin said, smiling back at the two redheads in the distance as they approached.

[—

It didn't take long before Shirou and Rin developed a daily routine.

Rin spent most of her days acting as a stereotypical student. She went to her classes, studied in the library, experimented on Dust crystals, and would occasionally bother Shirou while he was off helping someone in the school with one of their problems. The next day, just as the sun was beginning to set, she found him cleaning one of the vacant sparring rings. The redheaded magus was mopping the floor, not at all looking bothered doing a job that some would consider boring.

"Hey," she greeted as she approached, her stylish handbag slung over her shoulder.

Shirou smiled at her. "Give me a few seconds, I'm about done."

Rin sat down on a vacant seat, crossing her legs as she Shirou went about his business drying the mop. She produced from her bag a small stack of pastries, bought from a bakery just outside the campus. In it were tarts and cookies, too many cookies in fact, courtesy of a particular huntress in training.

After a moment, Shirou sat beside her, a sweaty towel over his head. Rin popped a cookie in his mouth, as she produced her scroll. With a bit of hesitant fiddling, she brings up a saved news article, published locally and distributed through Vale's kingdom-wide network.

"Wow Rin, I'm surprised you're actually using your scroll." Shirou quipped.

"Shut up." she held up the device. "Look at this. Have you seen this?"

"White Fang." Shirou narrowed his eyes, skimming through the article. "Sounds like a terrorist group."

"Well, they _are_ a terrorist group." Rin said. "Composed mainly of Faunus, this world's resident oppressed citizens. They're apparently fighting for a cause, for the equal rights of their fellow Faunus or something."

"It all sounds very noble." Shirou said hesitantly. "But these things that the media is saying about them, it's all very disconcerting."

"Even the noblest cause can be twisted into something ugly." Rin said poetically. "Whatever the case, these fools are causing violence and destruction in most of the things they're involved in. If they keep this up, they're going to be just a big a threat as the Grimm."

"Do they have a presence here in Vale?"

"They have cells everywhere. So yeah, probably." Rin shrugged. "Regardless, I'm not happy with these guys. I can relate to their cause, but the amount of rampant destruction they're causing is something that doesn't sit well with me."

"That's unfortunate."

"This world has its own policemen, its own anti-terrorist forces. But this White Fang is an enemy we obviously need to be wary of." she scrolled down the article and pointed at something on her scroll's screen. "With this Vytal Festival coming up, it's practically guaranteed that the White Fang is try something."

"I quite like it here." Shirou said drily. "Maybe we should do something about it?"

Rin popped him a toothy grin. "I often gave you flak for trying to act the hero, but in this case I'm with you."

She stood up and slid her phone into her pocket. "But seeing that the festival's still a month away, we have plenty of time to first get a feel for this new enemy. Now, I don't really know what kind of crap the Faunus have to deal with, since I mostly hear about it secondhand, but I _do_ know someone we can talk to."

* * *

 **A/N:** A pretty short chapter this week, but mainly because I've been busy. We'll get into some White Fang shenanigans next week, maybe with a pint of drama thrown in.

 **Silentstrixe:** Thanks. I'm trying to find a good balance between slice of life and plot in this fic.

 **TH351L3NTA55A551N:** To be fair, it's probably going to take a while before Shirou's in a situation where he'll need to use an actual NP on anything.

 **Kaioo:** It's just something in my headcanon. And I just decided to put it in because I thought it'd be sorta funny.

 **AzureStorms:** Future chapters will hopefully feature POVs from native RWBY characters instead of being more Shirou and Rin centic.

 **Knight of the Iron Hammer Vita:** I won't answer either question, but to be honest, even if Shirou manages to one shot the Grimm Dragon, it's not like that's going to solve everything. I'm trying to maintain a good balance between Shirou and Rin's general overpoweredness and a level of tension. As powerful as they are, they still won't be able to be everywhere at once. Also, the villains will soon no doubt learn about them, and may even adjust their plans appropriately.

 **Crazie194:** I'm still not sure how I want to handle Shirou tracing RWBY weapons, but it'll probably along the lines of 'He can do it, but it won't be too practical because of mana cost.'

 **Guest:** Sorry man, I'm not even aware Medusa Lily existed. o:

 **Server Lock:** Girl-in-tank is canon to RWBY. She first appeared in Volume 3.

 **Ideagetthe:** I will neither confirm nor deny this.


	9. The Measure of a Magus Part 2

**Chapter 8**

Blake Belladonna valued silence. Silence gave her the time to think, to whisk her thoughts to faraway places. Raised in the streets, in a world that hated her kind, she saw the value in escapism. Books were one of the better ways to escape from the world. Literature simultaneously made her think and forget about her past, her circumstances, and the greater world beyond.

 _Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka._

Her friends saw them as nothing more but strangers from a faraway place. But Blake saw them as an anomaly.

How could two people just come from a different world?

Everything on Remnant functioned on laws. Aura was a resource that everyone could use, but like any resource, Aura could run out. Aura granted people incredible abilities, but those abilities were still grounded by the rules of nature. Semblances were unique to every person, but every Semblance followed its own set of rules as well. As far as she knew, Semblances did not evolve into new abilities. And the Grimm, while monstrous in nature, followed rules of their own.

Rin and Shirou broke this world's rules the moment they arrived. Their abilities were too different from the abilities that huntsmen normally possessed. How they got here was a question that Blake asked herself every day. There were still so many mysteries left in the world. Had the world itself summoned them here? Or was it an accident from their world that brought them to Remnant?

Then, just as that, the door of the dorm room opens.

"Hello~" Rin announced, stepping inside.

"Excuse me." her much more polite companion said, following behind.

"Oh, everyone's gone." Rin said. "Except for one Blake Belladonna."

The girl grinned. Blake was never sure if her grins meant more than just a friendly gesture. There was obviously more to the girl despite her seemingly eternally friendly disposition. She was a much more refined person in her first few weeks with RWBY, a bit like Weiss but less of a jerk. Now she's a bit more loose, a bit more casual, and a bit more loud.

"Where's the rest of the team, Blake?" the blue-eyed girl asked.

"They went out to eat." she replied simply.

"Huh. I see." Rin nodded, immediately walking toward Blake's bed, her smile never moving from her face. "Why didn't you join them?"

"I didn't feel like it." Blake replied. "I'm feeling a bit under the weather." that was a lie.

"Ahh." the girl sat down on the opposite end of Blake's bed. "Well, how are you feeling now?"

Behind her, Shirou moved toward Rin's own bed and sat down.

"I'm feeling better now." Blake replied wearily. "If you guys want me to go out for a bit because you want to—"

"Blake, how does it feel like being a Faunus?" Rin said suddenly, her eyes no longer betraying humor.

 **Chapter 8  
The Measure of a Magus Part Two**

"I—I wouldn't know." she replied, almost out of reflex.

"Blake. You're a Faunus. Of course you know." Rin's voice had a hint of sympathy.

Blake relented, slowly lowering the book in her hand as her eyes narrowed. "How did you know?"

Rin shrugged, raised her hand and flicked her finger. Strange red lines began to radiate from the floor, some running up like vines across the walls, toward the ceiling. An odd feeling washed over Blake. She felt that she was somewhere else, no longer within the safe, familiar walls of her dorm room.

"Oh right." she said. "This thing."

"Bounded Fields serve a good number of purposes." Rin explained. "But I assure you, me finding out that you're a Faunus was an accident. The moment I activated it, I immediately sensed that your biology was different from everyone else's."

Blake sighed. "I suppose I have to thank you for not telling the rest of the team."

Rin smiled. "It's your choice if you tell them Blake, _when_ you tell them. They'll find out sooner or later, I'm sure. You're slated to spend four years in this school, after all." she straightened her back and cleared her throat. "Shirou and I have heard about the White Fang."

Blake's heart stopped, growing concerned. Her heart resumed its pace, racing faster than before. Did they know? Did she know? What does she want?

In her brief bout of panic, she failed to notice Emiya's eyebrow raise in curiosity.

"…they're an interesting group, if anything." Rin continued. "May I ask what's your opinion of them?"

"Excuse me?" she spluttered out.

"I'm asking your opinion on them. I mean, if you have any."

She forced herself to calm down, breathing a sigh of relief. Rin, in all her weirdness, might have been able to sense that Blake was a Faunus, but there was no guarantee that she knew more than that. Her magic circle thing might have been able to sense Blake's Faunus biology, but hopefully that was it.

"I don't really have an opinion of them." she lied. "But if I did, I'd think that their cause is just. Their methods however muddle their purpose."

"We share a similar opinion then." Rin nodded. "We have similar organizations back home, people who are fighting for an ideal, an idea, or a religion. But even then, in our world, most of those sorts of groups were small and somewhat disorganized. This White Fang sounds like an intercontinental organization. Faunus must really have things rough for such a large movement to exist."

"Why are you interested in the White Fang?" Blake asked, trying to sound neutral.

"They're a threat." Shirou said from across the room. "That's just about it, really. With the Vytal Festival coming up, Rin and I assumed that the group would do something to mess with the festivities."

"An unknown enemy is difficult to deal with." Rin explained. "We have no intention to involve ourselves in this world's politics, but the White Fang, like the Grimm, are a presence that we'll probably be involved with soon. Giant hairy monsters that want to eat our souls are one thing, masked terrorists are another."

Blake decided to humor the two. She narrowed her cat-like eyes and surveyed the pair. "I don't know much about them. But what's your opinion of them? You mentioned you did your research. What can _you_ tell me about the White Fang?"

Rin shrugged, her hair bouncing off her shoulder. "It's hard to judge a movement based on news articles alone. I don't know the whole picture; it's like looking through a keyhole."

"Do you think they're evil?" Blake asked.

"Evil is a strong word." Shirou countered. "And I've seen evil. I've seen all the evils of the world. A group, no matter how large, of Faunus fighting for a cause through violence cannot be judged as evil, based on the simple fact that it's impossible to tell each and every member's opinion on the actions they do."

"They kill people." Blake pointed out.

"But do they enjoy it?" Shirou asked. "Does every White Fang member enjoy it when he or she has to pull the trigger? If a White Fang member is asked to kill a civilian, what does he feel once the act is done? Does he cherish it? Does he regret it? Does he see the violence as nothing more but a means to an end? Does he feel hesitation or regret?"

"What Shirou is saying is that it's impossible to put all of the White Fang into the same basket." Rin explained. "We have little to no opinion about the group's cause. Whether it's just or not is up to the person you're asking. Right now, we are only considering the White Fang as a threat that needs to be prepared for."

Blake listened to Rin's words, contemplating them. Could Blake tell them? Could she trust them? They're a bit more open-minded on the topic than other people she's met before. But that could only be because they're from somewhere else. Had they lived their entire lives on Remnant, where they grew up in a world that resented her kind, would they still share the same opinion?

"I was one of them." she found herself saying.

Rin widened her eyes slightly in surprise. Shirou didn't hesitate in saying, "I knew it."

"You… did?" she asked, exasperated.

"Your body language gave you away." Shirou smiled. "You visibly tensed when we opened the topic to you. That's not a natural reaction, considering the subject matter. Though you could have also presumably been involved with the White Fang indirectly, like losing a loved one or whatever."

"Well this is a surprise." Rin said, her finger touching her chin. "Guess this means you can tell us a lot, eh?"

"That's it?" Blake asked. "You're just… you're just going to accept what I said?"

"Uh, yeah."

"You're not going to think I'm lying, or call me out, or call me a terrorist—"

"I can tell you're not lying because of my Bounded Field." Rin explained. "And I'm not going to call you out on your past. You had your reasons for joining the organization, and you had your reasons for leaving. But I'm not going to ask you those because one, that distracts from the conversation, and two, because you probably don't want to talk about it. Regardless of your past, Blake. Right now, you're nothing but a source of information. No offense."

Blake was flabbergasted. She wasn't sure what to say. Rin spoke her words in a calm, casual manner, with neither a hint of hatred nor annoyance in her voice. She didn't care that Blake was once a member of the group they had just considered a new threat. She didn't care that Blake lied about being a Faunus— to not only her, but their friends and teammates as well.

All she cared about was information.

It was refreshing.

Blake closed her eyes and the words left her lips on their own. "What do you want to know?"

[—

"So this Adam guy, he's one of the heads of the White Fang?" Shirou asked, roughly half an hour later.

Blake nodded hesitantly. "He wasn't always like how he is now. We didn't always have to rely on violence or stealing to get our point across. But that all changed when peaceful protests and talks stopped getting anywhere. One day, I just had to go."

The two magi were quiet for some time. They looked like they were considering their options. Finally, Rin spoke up.

"Thank you Blake. This probably wasn't easy, but thanks." she stood up, dusting her skirt. "It sounds like the rest of the team's back." she shared a look with Shirou and the other magus nodded. "We should get going. See you later, Blake."

They headed for the door, Shirou opening it for Rin, when Blake stood up and motioned after them.

"Wait." she said "I know that look. What are you two planning to do?"

"Nothing." Rin shrugged. "But the night's still young and I feel like going on a long, romantic walk."

The Faunus narrowed her eyes, knowing that Rin was lying. "If you're going then I'm going."

"You don't mind being the third wheel?" Rin laughed.

"I'm serious." she said. "Whatever it is you're planning, can't be good."

"I'm surprised you care, Blake."

Blake lowered her gaze, the confidence evaporating from her. "I'm not with the Fang anymore, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you guys because of what I told you."

"Blake," Shirou said gently. "We were going to do this regardless if you opened up on being a member of the White Fang or not. Don't blame yourself for anything."

"And besides," Rin said, a bit more loudly. "Don't worry about us. We know how to handle ourselves."

Blake was about to speak up, when she heard the familiar sound of her roommates, in animated conversation, from the end of the hallway. Rin smiled and Shirou nodded politely as they stepped out, gently closing the door behind them.

" _Where are you two off to?"_ Blake heard Yang's playful voice from outside.

" _Just going out to enjoy the moonlight."_ Rin replied in a sing-song voice.

Blake tuned out the rest of their brief conversation. Her hands balled into fists as her eyes gazed into the city.

[—

It was an hour until midnight. The streets were mostly empty. The occasional businessman walked to and fro, the occasional car drove by, and the occasional drunken pair of friends strolled together. Shirou and Rin stood near the ledge of a skyscraper, observing the vast city below them, their eyes glowing shades of green.

"This probably brings you back, doesn't it?" Shirou asked.

"Hm?"

"You and Archer had a favorite spot back on Fuyuki. A place where you could see the rest of the city and plan out your moves."

"Ahhh." Rin nodded. "I guess. Though technically we only went there a few times. And then you know, he betrayed me and all that." she paused then added. "Hey Shirou, if you somehow do still end up becoming Archer, don't betray me, okay?"

"No promises."

"Shirou!"

He hushed her with a gesture, placing his finger on his lips. His eyes narrowed, gazing toward a street in the distance.

"8th Avenue. The Dust shop near the fast food place. A truck just pulled up and a suspicious-looking group is funneling out."

Rin followed his instructions, her gaze eventually arriving on the spot Shirou described. Six people emerged from the back of a truck parked on the street. Her reinforced eyes allowed her to make out their attire, black-and-white armor topped off with a white half-mask. The pair watched silently as one of the people placed a device on the Dust shop's electronic lock. A spark triggered and the steel grate protecting the shop opened.

"Definitely bad guys." Rin said. "How do you want to do this?"

"Non-lethal, of course." Shirou said, standing up. "We'll probably make enough noise to alert the police. When that happens I assume we can just tell them that we're from Beacon?"

"Probably. Beacon is a pretty respected institution. And Huntsmen are basically freelance cops, right?"

Shirou shrugged, stepping toward the ledge. "Let's just get going."

[—

They descended the building by leaping off the ledge into the dark below. They landed three blocks away from their destination, pretending to be a couple on a midnight walk for the first two blocks, then blending in with the shadows once they were close. They skirted around the Dust shop, sprinting toward a barely-lit alleyway. A second and third truck arrived not a moment later, parking close to the first.

Rin leaned out of a corner, watching as the two new vehicles released their own cargo of white-masked Faunus.

"Guns, guns, guns, someone with a sword…" Rin whispered. "Not unless those guns turn into swords."

Shirou looked out of the corner with her, glancing at the weapons. It took him only a moment to realize the answer to her question.

"Those are just standard guns. They don't turn into anything."

"So, grunts?" Rin said, retreating back into the alley.

"Probably." he followed her as she strolled toward the store's back door.

The White Fang were apparently bold enough to rob the store from the front entrance, but there was still a good chance that someone was guarding the back. Rin placed her fingers on the door's cold steel, closing her eyes as her magic circuits flared to life. A pulse of red light radiated from her fingers into the door, before echoing into the building beyond.

"There are twelve people inside, five outside. Looks like one of them might be a boss of some sort; he has a stronger Aura than the rest of them."

She placed her hand on the door's bar and pulled, grunting audibly as the locked door refused to cooperate. Green-blue lines crisscrossed into her arm, and she tried again, this time ripping the door straight out of its hinges.

They funneled in, Rin first and then Shirou. They made their way past what looked like a janitor closet, into the interior of the store. Rin held up her hand and Shirou stopped. A girl in a mask approached, holding a boxy looking rifle. Rin retreated into a small alcove as the girl passed by. When the girl paused to examine something on a nearby counter, Rin emerged and immediately wrapped the girl in a tight hold.

While the girl felt almost as strong as an athlete back on earth, it took only a bit of reinforcement for Rin to overpower her. The girl lost consciousness after a slight struggle, slumping to the ground. Rin hid her in the janitor closet they passed, closing the door gently as they left.

The magi made their way deeper inside, their footsteps as silent as whispers. Three more White Fang blocked their path in the store's showroom.

"Looks like they're not interested in the money." Rin noted.

"The rest are probably deeper inside," Shirou replied. "Where the majority of the Dust is being kept. Let's get rid of these guys and the ones outside."

"We won't be able to clear them out without making noise. We're not exactly Assassin, Shirou."

"Terrible point to make. Not even Assassin was an actual assassin."

Rin shrugged, realizing his point before she moved toward the closest target. Magical energy coursed into her legs and she dashed forward, faster than the eye could see. She slammed into the White Fang, throwing him hard into the counter. Before the Faunus, could react, Rin punched him across the jaw, knocking him out. Confusion took over the other two White Fang. Before they could react, Shirou appeared before the first, slamming a reinforced fist into the White Fang's face.

The third White Fang raised his weapon to fire. Shirou moved in another blur, crossing the five-meter distance in the blink of an eye and sending a kick to the cat-Faunus' midsection. The force of the kick shattered the Faunus' Aura and sent him crashing into a nearby wall.

By this point the White Fang outside reacted to the intrusion. Shirou and Rin saw the four White Fang readying their weapons, moving toward the store's glass windows. A bow materialized in Shirou's hand and Rin raised two fingers together. A barrage of arrows and charged, but non-lethal Gandr shots broke through the glass walls and peppered the White Fang. Shirou's prana-charged arrows broke through their Auras, while Rin's shots cursed their bodies into unconsciousness, too fast for the Faunus to even find cover.

" _Lene, Lene, are you there?"_ one of the White Fang's radios sparked to life.

The two magi shared a concerned look before running inside, deeper into the store.

Shirou pulled out his scroll as they rushed through a hallway, dialing an emergency number and placing the device to his ear.

" _Vale emergency hotline, what is your concern?"_

"I'm a member of Beacon Academy's security. There's a robbery happening at 8th avenue, in a Dust shop shopped called Dust'vidania."

" _Okay sir, can you please tell us your name—"_

"No time. Just send help, thank you." he closed his scroll just as a pair of White Fang emerged from the other end of the narrow hallway.

The White Fang raised their blocky rifles at Shirou and Rin and pulled the triggers, peppering the hallway with bullets. The hallway was too tight to maneuver out of and even with their considerable speed, the distance was still too far to cross without getting hit.

Realizing this, Shirou's arm shot out.

The trigger was pulled. The hammer fell.

"Rho Aias!" he shouted.

The incantation was instant, but the spell was incomplete. A single petal emerged, materializing in the space between the Faunus and the magi. Bullets ricocheted off the petal harmlessly, much to the Faunus' surprise. Shirou and Rin continued their charge, crossing the distance in a sudden dash. The pair slammed into their targets, hitting with enough force to deplete their relatively weak Auras and knocking them out. Shirou's martial skill was far from Rin's, but he had managed to learn a few important things from her.

They turned right at the end of the hallway, eventually finding themselves in an open area. The walls were reinforced and several members of the Fang stood waiting, blocky rifles aimed at the entrance. A particularly tall and muscular man, one who wore a larger, more intricate mask than the others stood in the middle of the group. Behind him appeared to be a large safe.

Shirou and Rin skidded to a halt, Shirou materializing Kanshou and Bakuya, while Rin threw her hand forward.

"What do we have here?" the leader said in a heavy, muffled, and baritone voice.

"Just a couple of students out on a walk." Rin snarked. "What do you have back there?"

"None of your business, kid." the leader took a step forward. His hand was holding onto something. Rin at first thought that it was a sword, but as the man brought the blade to its full length, she realized it was some kind of weaponised chainsaw.

"Seeing that I'm a citizen of Vale and that this all looks very illegal, I think this is my business."

"Kid." the man repeated. "You don't know what you're getting into."

"Old man," the magus replied. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

The leader gestured to his men and readied his weapon. A Faunus at the end of the room depressed a switch, turning off the lights. They charged, head-on into the darkness, expecting a one-sided fight. It came as a surprise to them when a flurry of arrows, followed by blood-red bullets, slammed into their Auras.

The White Fang leader frowned at the sight, but grinned inwardly at the anticipation. The chainsaw in his hand roared to life and he stepped forward.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yay. In other news, ufotable is starting to hint Heaven's Feel. Weirdly enough, I hope that it's another series instead of a movie.

 **chaosglory626:** Basement's probably super reinforced, so Shirou and Rin might not be able to sense anything that's happening down there.

 **Katherine Sanderson:** Yeah, that's generally what I'm going with.

 **AzureStorms:** Thanks. Good news, this chapter had a bit of Blake's POV.

 **Server lock:** It's k.

 **Noodlesandrice:** Thanks, man. Yeah, this Shirou is mostly based on UBW Epilogue Shirou.

 **THE 51L3NT A55A551N:** Unlike in other fics, this Shirou has a ton of mana to spare and will probably not need a backup physical weapon to fight. Sorry.

 **Mingyu:** Always been a fan of the ShirouxRin pairing, mainly because it's the only romance that I find to be the most realistic. So thanks.

 **Guest:** Don't know what you're exactly saying. You mean the stealing powers thing? They're safe from that. They're not Maidens or anything.


End file.
